I&B Ministry
RS TV audit sought, content sharing with Prasar proposed by Veep
MUMBAI: India’s vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chairman of Rajya Sabha, has sought audit of the upper house broadcaster.
RSTV, Naidu also said, should be able to quantify the reach of the channel (viewership) besides having systems for feedback on and evaluation of content. Efforts, he said, needed to be made to expand its reach with a clear plan of action, suggesting the possibility of synergy with Prasar Bharati through sharing of content.
During a review, he was surprised to notice it was spending Rs 125 million for making “Raag Desh,” a commercial film produced by former RS TV editor and CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal. It was based on Indian National Army trials, the court martial of its officers — Col Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, Col Prem Sehgal and Major Shah Nawaz Khan.
Naidu was informed that the channel had invested around Rs 3.75 billion since August 2011 when it started, the Times of India reported.
Naidu sought a full-fledged professional and expense audit after he also found that an annual rent of Rs 250 million was being paid for office premises in New Delhi and around Rs 35 million spend on housing-keeping and hiring of cabs. Naidu wants to, instead, explore the possibility of owning an office.
Naidu also questioned on RS TV’s original mandate, reach of the channel, present content mix, utilisation of manpower and other resources, expenditure, and the scope for rationalisation, Mint reported.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) meantime ordered a probe against the pubcaster Prasar Bharati for alleged abuse of dominance with regard to infrastructural facilities for FM radio broadcasting.
The probe was ordered based on a complaint filed by Mumbai-based Clear Media against Prasar and the MIB. Clear Media had entered into an agreement with Prasar in 2006 for using its common transmission tower in Delhi. The dispute started after the collapse of the tower in 2014.
The fair trade regulator, however, rejected similar complaints against the MIB, saying it was a government department responsible for framing rules without any involvement in any economic activity.
I&B Ministry
MeitY proposes tighter rules for digital platforms and intermediaries
Fresh amendments aim to formalise government directions and expand content oversight.
MUMBAI: When the rulebook gets an upgrade, even the internet might need to sit up and pay attention because India’s digital regulators are clearly not scrolling idly. India’s technology regulators have proposed a fresh set of amendments to the country’s digital media and intermediary liability framework, seeking to expand oversight of online content and formalise the government’s authority to issue binding directions to platforms.
In a notice issued on 30 March, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) invited public comments on changes to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The revisions are described as “clarificatory and procedural” but are clearly aimed at strengthening compliance and enforcement.
At the heart of the proposal is a significant shift in how intermediaries, including social media platforms, respond to government advisories. A newly inserted provision would make compliance with official “clarifications, advisories, directions, standard operating procedures and guidelines” a formal part of the due diligence obligations required for platforms to retain legal immunity under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. This change effectively elevates government communications from guidance to enforceable obligations, tightening the regulatory loop between the state and digital platforms.
The amendments also expand the scope of content oversight under Part III of the rules, which governs digital media ethics. The proposed revisions clarify that the code will apply not only to publishers but also to intermediaries hosting news and current affairs content uploaded by users. This could bring user-generated news content more directly within the ambit of regulatory scrutiny, a move likely to raise questions about platform liability and editorial responsibility.
Further, the government has proposed broadening the mandate of the Inter-Departmental Committee, a key oversight body. The committee would no longer be limited to adjudicating complaints but could also take up matters referred directly by the ministry. This shift signals a more proactive regulatory posture, allowing authorities to initiate reviews without waiting for formal grievances.
The draft builds on an already expansive framework. The existing IT Rules impose detailed due diligence requirements on intermediaries, including obligations to remove unlawful content within tight timelines, maintain grievance redressal systems, and ensure traceability in certain cases. Recent amendments have also introduced provisions addressing synthetically generated content, requiring platforms to label such material and deploy technical measures to prevent misuse.
Officials framed the latest proposals as necessary to ensure an “Open, Safe, Trusted and Accountable Internet,” while improving “legal certainty” and the enforceability of regulatory directions.
Stakeholders have been invited to submit feedback by 14 April, setting the stage for what could become another consequential evolution in India’s digital governance regime.
In the fast-moving world of online content, these tweaks suggest the government is keen to keep the guardrails firmly in place – because when the internet grows wilder, even regulators feel the need to hit refresh on the rulebook.
