I&B Ministry
New govt issues licences to three new channels
NEW DELHI: With the Government expediting the process of clearing permissions for new television channels after a lapse of almost three months in view of the Model Code relating to the General Elections, three new television channels have received permissions as on 28 July taking the total to 798.
However, there has been some change in the tally of the channels. The total number of news channels has gone up from 393 to 397 while the number of non-news and current affairs channels (general entertainment channels) has come down from 402 to 401.
To speed up the clearance process, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry now holds the open house meetings with stakeholders twice every month instead of once.
At present, the number of TV channels permitted for uplink from and downlink to India is 671 (of which 375 are news channels); while channels permitted for uplink from India but not permitted to downlink in India are 34 (of which 28 are GECs).
93 channels including 77 GECs have been permitted to only downlink into India as they are uplinked from abroad.
The three new channels permitted in June and July are the non-news Peace of Mind owned by God Media, the Punjabi news channel ABP Sanjha by Media Content and Communication Services, Patrika TV Rajasthan owned by Rajasthan Patrika which will beam news in Hindi, English and all other languages.
A large number of new applications are pending including those of Star India for its second Tamil channel and Epic TV. Sources say that nearly hundred applications are pending clearance at various stages either with the I&B Ministry, Home Ministry or the Department of Telecom.
The first four months of 2014 saw licences being given to nine channels including AXN HD and SET HD.
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.
