I&B Ministry
Mittal wants self-regulation for new media, Rathore says IT Act adequate
NEW DELHI: Even as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore categorically told Parliament earlier this month that his Ministry was not contemplating any regulatory framework for censorship of content appearing on the internet, Secretary Ajay Mittal has said the Centre is concerned about new media in the absence of a regulatory framework.
Speaking in Kolkata at the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MCCI), Mittal said
“An important area of challenge in the new media is that there is unfortunately no regulatory framework. What you cannot see on TV or hear on your radio, it is all possibly up there in open access.”
Mittal said much more was needed to be done to prepare the government and its officers to deal with the “completely new paradigm of digital media”.
He said the Ministry was discussing with the state governments and “we are now going to train their people in the information sector so that they can deal with the challenges created by new media that is causing a whole lot of concern.”
Mittal said questions have also been raised in Parliament on “this issue of digital media without any boundaries. We are very clear that in the media space the best form of regulation is self regulation and the government would like to keep away as far as possible.”
Rathore had said in reply to a question about censoring new platforms for publication and broadcasting of media content like social networks and online video services that Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 provides for blocking access to information under specific conditions. He said the Act has provisions for removal of objectionable online content.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) rules 2011 require that the Intermediaries shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is harmful, objectionable, affects minors and is unlawful in any way.
As far as OTT was concerned, sources in the ministry told indiantelevision.com that this was still a new subject, and the government would take action in the event of any complaints from viewers and subscribers.
The Ministry, sources said, has no control over films appearing online as this falls in the ambit of the IT Act which is administered by IT Ministry.
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.
