Ashwini Vaishnaw assumed charge as the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting on Tuesday. In Modi 3.0 term, he will also be holding the portfolios of the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
He said the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “dedicated to the upliftment of the poor.” Reiterating the Cabinet decision for construction of 3 crore rural and urban houses on Monday, he added that the very first Cabinet decision on the first day of the new Government is devoted to the empowerment of the poor. He further stated that the Government will continue to serve the people of the country.
Meanwhile, L Murugan took charge as Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. Speaking with reporters, he stated the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting plays a key role in executing Government policies by acting as a communication bridge between the Government and the people of the country.
Some of the key policy decisions in the works at the Information & Broadcasting Ministry include finalisation of the National Broadcasting Policy. As per FICCI and EY report the media and entertainment sector grew by ₹173 billion from 2022 to reach ₹2.32 trillion in 2023. It is estimated that the sector is expected to reach ₹3.08 trillion by 2026 at a CAGR of around 10 per cent.
One of the burning issues in front of the sector is the requirement of mandatory self-declaration certificates advertisers need to give for broadcasting or publishing ads from June 18. Advertisers will need to certify that their ads do not contain misleading claims and adhere to regulatory guidelines.
This is in line with a directive of the Supreme Court. The Ministry has said that advertisers will need to submit these certificates on the Broadcast Seva Portal for TV and radio ads and on Press Council of India’s portal for print and digital ads. The industry has raised concerns about the practicality of this self-declaration given challenges associated with different mediums.