News Broadcasting
“We are confident, people have unstinted faith in PM Modi’s leadership”: Nirmala Sitharaman in her first interview post-budget
Mumbai: In her first post-budget interview to any private network, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has highlighted what she called people’s unshakeable faith in prime minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing that this trust gave the government confidence to focus on empowerment instead of populism just before elections
In an exclusive interview with NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia, Nirmala Sitharaman said the unflinching public faith in prime minister Modi empowered the government to prioritize long-term fiscal responsibility without compromising on the allocation to welfare schemes.
“We are confident because, in the last 10 years, we have consistently launched schemes that benefit the people. And we don’t just launch the schemes, we ensure that the benefits reach the last person in the queue,” the finance minister said, to a question on the confidence on display with a budget that skipped any populist measure, including tax changes.
“This is why we are confident that we have got the people’s blessings twice and will get it again. The people’s confidence in Prime Minister Modi is unshakeable and that gives us confidence.”
Sitharaman, in the last budget before national polls, also trimmed the subsidy spend to Rs 3.81 lakh crore for FY25 compared to Rs 4.13 crore for FY24. Resisting the temptation of spending on schemes for the poor in the pre-election budget, the government stayed firm on fiscal consolidation to attract investors.
“Our initiatives are not about populism or entitlement but of empowerment,” Sitharaman said, “We don’t believe in handholding people in a way which hampers their own decision-making. We will do welfare spending for healthcare and education.”
Fiscal discipline and subsidies, she explained, are not substitutes to one another.
To NDTV’s question on plans to raise capital expenditure, the finance minister said, “We will treat capex exhaustively in July (Union Budget).”
In 2014, when we came to power, there was enormous pressure on us. The impact of the financial mess, the policy paralysis, and scams had created a lack of confidence in the Indian economy. Foreign investors had become doubtful about India.
There was pressure on us to bring out a… pic.twitter.com/DVPfsOLLCt
— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 2, 2024
News Broadcasting
Mihir Bhatt appointed as chief content officer at News18 Studios
The media veteran brings two decades of experience across television, digital and radio to one of India’s biggest broadcast networks, Disney+ Hotstar, Discovery+
NEW DELHI: Network18 has a new strategist in the building. Mihir Bhatt, one of Indian media’s more versatile operators, has joined News18 Studios as chief content officer, stepping into a role that will see him shape content strategy, build multi-platform properties and drive brand partnerships across the network.
Bhatt brings more than two decades of experience spanning television, digital and radio, with a track record of doing something rare in Indian media: combining editorial ambition with hard commercial results. At Times Network, where he served as managing editor and chief business officer of Times Influence, he built one of the industry’s more respected content studios, launching marquee properties such as the India Economic Conclave, the Times Now Summit and Leaders of Tomorrow. He also pushed the network into premium OTT territory through tie-ups with Disney+ Hotstar and Discovery+.
His resume stretches well beyond the studio. Bhatt has led Global Investor Summits for multiple state governments, worked alongside the World Economic Forum and played a pivotal role in launching the Indian Pickleball League. Earlier, as editor of Zee Business, he pioneered investor education initiatives that are still cited as industry benchmarks.
At News18 Studios, Bhatt will report to chief executive S Shivakumar and will oversee the studios execution vertical alongside revenue verticals covering emerging markets and campaigns. Sidharth Saini, Hemanth Kumar and Nimar Sarkaria will work under him.
Rahul Joshi, managing director and editor-in-chief of Network18 Group, made the announcement in an internal communication. “Mihir’s ability to build enduring brands, foster strategic partnerships and navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our position and explore new avenues of growth in the Studios business,” Joshi said.
In a media industry lurching between disruption and reinvention, Network18 has bet on a man who has spent two decades thriving in exactly that chaos. Whether he can do it again, at greater scale, is the question worth watching.
