I&B Ministry
Merger of schemes under MIB lead to reduction to one-third of 11th Plan
NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has brought down the number of schemes under it from 65 in the Eleventh Plan to just 21 in the 12th Plan by the year 2016-17 by merely merging together under umbrella schemes the various schemes of its different media units with similar objectives and activities.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information Technology which goes into issues relating to I and B was informed that the ministry carried out a comprehensive rationalization and restructuring of the Plan schemes to achieve the thrust areas of the 12th Five Year Plan.
The ministry said this is expected to result in optimum and effective utilization of outlay earmarked and better monitoring of Plan Schemes at implementing stages during the year 2016-17.
Progress in the achievement of physical and financial targets in respect of schemes is now being reviewed by the secretary in the ministry to boost utilization in the current fiscal.
In addition, the Financial Advisor of the ministry and the concerned joint secretaries also convene meetings at their level in order to review the performance of the plan schemes. In such meetings representatives from various media units under the ministry and implementing agencies are also called for discussion, whenever required.
|
(Rs. in crore) Sector wise Budgetary Support
|
BE 2015-16
|
RE 2015-16
|
Expenditure as on 31.03.2016
|
BE 2016-17
|
|
Information
|
70.65
|
193.42
|
188.20
|
183.02
|
|
Film
|
208.55
|
77.31
|
69.01
|
141.48
|
|
Broadcasting
|
||||
|
Main Sectt.
|
30.30
|
25.50
|
23.41
|
25.50
|
|
Prasar Bharati
|
605.03
|
453.77
|
453.77
|
450.00
|
|
Total Broadcasting
|
635.33
|
479.27
|
477.18
|
475.50
|
|
Total
|
914.53
|
750.00
|
734.39
|
800.00
|
Thus, allocation for Broadcasting and Film Sectors has been reduced compared to last fiscal, i.e. 2015-16 but the Information Sector has got an enhanced allocation in 2016-17.
When questioned about the reduction in other sectors and increase in the Information sector, the ministry informed the committee that the sector-wise fund allocation are based on the following rationale:
1. The scheme-wise expenditure trend during last four years of the 12th Five Year Plan;
2. Overall ceilings approved by Expenditure Finance Committee/Standing Finance Committee/Revised Cost Estimates, for the 12th Plan (2012-17) with respect to each scheme;
3. Annual scheme-wise budget proposals from different wings based on their expenditure capacity;
4. Full provision for continuing schemes for completion of the schemes.
5. Overall ceiling fixed by the ministry of Finance.
As the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of sub-scheme “People’s Empowerment through Development Communication (Conception and Dissemination) (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity” was under consideration at the beginning of 2015-16, an amount of Rs 131 crore for this scheme was kept in the scheme “National Film Heritage Mission” of the film sector. After the RCE of this sub-scheme was approved by the Finance ministry, the allocation for this sub-scheme was enhanced to Rs 151 crore. Consequently, allocation with respect to information sector at revised estimate stage increased to Rs.193.42 crore and the allocation for the film sector decreased to Rs.77.31 crore.
When questioned whether the present allocation of Rs.800 crore for the current fiscal is sufficient to carry out the planned activities, the ministry told the committee that given the availability of resources and the set priorities of the government, the financial allocations are made to the ministries/departments which are mostly less than what is proposed to the Finance ministry.
The Budget Estimates allocation of Rs 800 crore for the year 2016-17 for the I and B Ministry is less than the proposed amount of Rs 1,240.69 crore.
However subject to the resource constraint, the ministry has tried to optimize the reduced allocation of Rs 800 crore amongst the schemes of the ministry sector-wise, by allocating funds to the media units in a rational manner to overcome the difficulty of reduced allocation.
Subject to the availability of the budget, the ministry will make all out efforts to reach out to the people of the country and fulfill their mandate of the public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati opens AIR to private content under new policy
NIPP introduces revenue share, sponsored and gratis models
MUMBAI: Radio may be the oldest voice in the room, but it’s learning some very modern tricks. In a bid to stay tuned to changing listener habits, Prasar Bharati has opened the doors of All India Radio to private players under a newly rolled-out content framework. The initiative, titled Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP), marks a significant shift in how the public broadcaster approaches programming moving from a largely in-house model to a more collaborative, market-aligned ecosystem. Issued by Akashvani’s Directorate General in April 2026, the policy invites private producers, content owners and aggregators to pitch programmes across formats, from radio dramas and documentaries to quiz shows, storytelling and music-led content.
At the heart of the framework lies a three-pronged participation model designed to balance creative freedom with commercial viability. The most prominent route is revenue sharing, where advertising and sponsorship income generated by a programme is split between the producer and the broadcaster. The structure tilts in favour of creators offering a 70:30 split when producers bring in advertising, and 65:35 when monetisation is handled by Prasar Bharati.
Alongside this sits the sponsored model, where producers fully fund and monetise their content, subject to compliance with advertising norms and the AIR Broadcast Code. For those less commercially inclined, a gratis route allows content to be submitted free of cost, with Prasar Bharati retaining all monetisation rights effectively turning the platform into a national distribution channel for diverse voices.
The move comes as legacy media grapples with intensifying competition from private FM networks, streaming platforms and digital audio ecosystems. By repositioning AIR as both a public service broadcaster and a content marketplace, Prasar Bharati appears to be recalibrating its role in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Importantly, the framework does not dilute editorial control. All submissions must adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code, and proposals are evaluated through a layered process that weighs storytelling quality, production capability, audience appeal and revenue potential. Only proposals crossing a defined threshold move forward, signalling that while access has widened, the bar remains firmly in place.
Operational discipline is another cornerstone of the policy. Producers are required to maintain broadcast-ready content, deliver episode banks in advance and navigate a structured approval process. Crucially, all production costs are borne by the content provider, reinforcing Prasar Bharati’s positioning as a distribution and oversight platform rather than a commissioning entity.
What elevates the initiative further is its scale. The framework spans multiple clusters and stations across India, covering both metro and regional markets, with specific language mandates and submission channels. This not only expands the content pipeline but also deepens linguistic and cultural representation, an area where AIR has historically held an advantage.
In effect, NIPP signals a quiet but meaningful transformation. AIR is no longer just broadcasting to the nation, it is inviting the nation to broadcast with it, blending legacy reach with contemporary content economics in a bid to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented audio universe.
