Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India

Emblem of India
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Republic of India
Headquarters	New Delhi
Agency executives	Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Information and Broadcasting (Cabinet Minister) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State
Website	www.mib.gov.in

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Ministry of I&B) is a branch of the Government of India is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting, the press and films in India.^[1]

The Ministry is responsible for the administration of Prasar Bharati-the broadcasting arm of the Indian Government. The Central Board of Film Certification is the other important body under this ministry being responsible for the regulation of motion pictures shown in India.

Organisation

• Broadcasting
  • Conditional Access System (CAS)
  • Community Radio Stations
  • Prasar Bharati
  • Doordarshan
  • Akashvani (All India Radio)
  • Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited
  • Uplinking/Downlinking of TV Channels
  • Content Regulation on Private TV Channels
  • Direct to Home (DTH)
  • Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
  • Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS)
  • Digital television transition
  • Radio And Television Licence Around The World
  • Broadcasting Authority of India 1977
• Information
  • Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP)
  • Directorate of Field Publicity
  • Photo Division
  • Publications Division
  • Research Reference & Training Division
  • Song & Drama Division
  • Office of the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI)
  • Press Council of India
  • Press Information Bureau (PIB)
  • Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
• Films
  • Directorate of Film Festivals (DFAI)
  • Films Division (FD)
  • Central Board of Film Certification
  • Children's Film Society, India
  • Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII)
  • Film Certification Appellate Tribunal
  • National Film Archive of India (NFAI)
  • Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI)
  • National Film Development Corporation

Mandate

The mandate of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting are:^[1]

• News Services through All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) for the people
• Development of broadcasting and television.
• Import and export of films.
• Development and promotion of film industry.
• Organisation of film festivals and cultural exchanges for the purpose.
• Directorate of Advertising and visual publicity DAVP
• Handling of press relations to present the policies of Government of India and to get feed-back on the Government policies.
• Administration of the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 in respect of newspapers.
• Dissemination of information about India within and outside the country through publications on matters of national importance.
• Research, Reference and Training to assist the media units of the Ministry to meet their responsibilities.
• Use of interpersonal communication and traditional folk art forms for information/ publicity campaigns on public interest issues.
• International co-operation in the field of information & mass media.

Criticism and controversies

The Ministry has often been criticised for the actions of the various bodies under it:

• Arbitrary actions taken in the past to ban television channels which ostensibly showed explicit scenes, as well as actions taken to ban general use websites like Yahoo Groups, have been criticised.^[2][3]
• All India Radio is the only radio broadcaster allowed to broadcast news within India, though this is likely to change with the recommendations of the TRAI.^[4]
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked the media not to air a controversial documentary by BBC about rape in India.^[5]
• The ministry has been criticised in its role of the way it has handled the FTII strike.

List of I&B Ministers

• Indira Gandhi (1964–1966)
• I. K. Gujral (1972–1977)^[6]
• L. K. Advani (1977–1979)
• Vasant Sathe (1980–1984)
• H. K. L. Bhagat (1984–1988)
• P. A. Sangma (1995–1996)
• Jaipal Reddy (1996–1998)
• Arun Jaitley (2000)
• Sushma Swaraj (2000–2003)
• Ravi Shankar Prasad (2003–2004)
• Dayanidhi Maran (2004–2007)
• Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi (2007–2009)
• Ambika Soni (2009–2012)
• Manish Tewari (2012–2014)
• Prakash Javadekar (2014)
• Arun Jaitley (2014–2016)
• Venkaiah Naidu (2016–Incumbent)

List of I&B Ministers of State

• N. K. P. Salve^[7]
• Ambareesh (2006–2008)
• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (2014–Incumbent)

See also

• Government of India
• Prasar Bharati
• Doordarshan
• Censor Board of India

References

1. About Us Main Page
2. AXN says sorry for 'obscene' TV
3. "Outrage over India Yahoo ban". BBC News. 29 September 2003.
4. "Let private FM radio stations air news: Trai". The Times Of India. 23 February 2008.
5. "India: Rape documentary excerpts 'incite violence against women'". CNN. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
6. "BJP may not go with Akalis on gifting Jalandhar to Gujral". Indian Express. 6 December 1997. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
7. "Rajya Sabha Members: Biographical Sketches 1952 - 2003: S" (PDF). Rajya Sabha website.

External links

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Official website
• Report on the Indian Broadcasting Industry - Switching the Channel to FDI, October 2012 - Dinodia Capital Advisors
• ^[1]

1. "Cabinet reshuffle: Portfolios of Modi's ministers". 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.