I&B Ministry
M&E industry to meet I&B Minister next week
MUMBAI: After the mammoth election, the new BJP-led NDA government took charge on 26 May and since then, the new Information & Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar, has been a busy man. From attending press conferences and ceremonies to meeting the various stakeholders, he has been on the move since he took the oath.
The Minister has been vocal about his thoughts on what he expects from the industry and what needs to be done. On day one itself, he had announced his commitment towards freedom of press and there is no intention of regulating the media. This has given new hopes to the media industry which is currently caught-up in policy hurdles, implementation delays and controversies.
As per industry sources, the Minister will be meeting the various associations of the Media & Entertainment industry together early next week.
Though the dates aren’t clear yet and so is the agenda, but the various sources have hinted upon the following topics which will be discussed over the table.
Digitisation – With the phase I & II over and III & IV in the pipeline, it will be one of the hot topic. The Minister, couple of days back had said that in a step to boost employment and small-scale industry, efforts will be made to encourage indigenisation of set-top boxes. The stakeholders could also discuss carriage fees, opportunities in the DTH and how digitisation can help broadcasters.
Licences – More the merrier has been the slogan for large media houses. With more and more channels being launched by networks, many pending licence files have been gathering dust in the numerous Ministry offices.
FDI – The Ministry is already looking for inputs from various stakeholders on whether to allow 100 per cent FDI in News media. Currently, the FDI allowed is up to 26 per cent in news and current affairs media, while 100 per cent is allowed in non-news media like trade publications and entertainment channels.
Way forward – The industry has been in a limbo for a long say highly placed industry sources who are betting that the new Minister will be able to hurry up things and set a positive tone for the coming years.
“The meeting is all about the big picture. Everyone has been wanting to meet the new Minister and discuss the grievances and hurdles they face,” says a source who believes a little pep talk and a push is needed to take things in a positive trend.
Agreeing, another industry source adds, “Everyone will come with their own wish list in a hope to get things to work in their benefit and economically do better than what it has been doing so far.”
One thing is clear that in the meeting set to be held early next week, the new I&B Minister will have his platter full, with M&E industry handing him a checklist.
I&B Ministry
Government sets up AI governance group to steer policy
AIGEG to align ministries, assess jobs impact, guide AI deployment.
MUMBAI: If artificial intelligence is the engine, the government is now building the dashboard and making sure everyone reads from the same screen. The Centre has constituted a new inter-ministerial body to coordinate India’s approach to AI, formalising a key recommendation from its governance framework and the Economic Survey. The AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will act as the central platform to align AI-related policy across ministries, regulators and departments, an attempt to bring coherence to what has so far been a fragmented and fast-evolving landscape.
The group will be chaired by union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with minister of state Jitin Prasada as vice chairperson. Its composition reflects both technological and economic priorities, bringing together the principal scientific adviser, the chief economic adviser, and the CEO of NITI Aayog, alongside key secretaries from telecommunications, economic affairs and science and technology. A representative from the National Security Council Secretariat is also part of the group, while the MeitY secretary will serve as member convenor.
At its core, AIGEG is designed to do two things: coordinate and anticipate. On the policy front, it will review existing regulatory mechanisms, issue guidance across sectors and ensure companies remain compliant with evolving legal frameworks. Beyond that, it will oversee national initiatives on AI governance, with a focus on enabling responsible innovation rather than merely regulating it.
The economic dimension is equally central. The group has been tasked with assessing how AI-driven automation could reshape jobs identifying which roles are most at risk, where those impacts may be geographically concentrated, and whether technology will augment or replace human labour. Based on these assessments, it will develop mitigation strategies and transition plans, signalling a more proactive stance on workforce disruption.
In parallel, AIGEG will work with industry stakeholders to chart a long-term roadmap for AI adoption, categorising use cases into “deploy”, “pilot” or “defer” buckets depending on readiness factors such as data availability, skill levels and regulatory clarity. The aim is to move from broad ambition to structured execution deciding not just what can be built, but what should be built now.
The group will function as the apex layer in India’s AI governance architecture, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee that will track global developments, emerging risks and regulatory priorities. Together, the two bodies are expected to shape both the pace and direction of AI adoption in the country.
In a landscape where technology often outruns policy, the creation of AIGEG signals an attempt to close that gap ensuring that India’s AI journey is not just rapid, but also coordinated, accountable and economically grounded.
