Ministry
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the Government of India's apex department for the press, radio and television broadcasting, film certification and government communication. It runs the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan and Akashvani), certifies films through the Central Board of Film Certification, and — under Part III of the IT Rules 2021 — oversees online news publishers and curated (OTT) content. It is the institution that sets the terms on which broadcast and, increasingly, digital audio-visual content reaches Indian audiences.
Updated
- Headquarters
- Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi
- Formed
- 1947 (at independence)
- Budget 2026-27 (BE)
- Rs 4,551.94 crore, of which about Rs 2,291.88 crore is allocated to Prasar Bharati
- Public broadcaster
- Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan television and Akashvani / All India Radio)
- Key statutes
- Cinematograph Act 1952; Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995; Prasar Bharati Act 1990; Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023; Part III of the IT Rules 2021
Role
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the Union government’s department for the media India consumes: the press, radio and television broadcasting, film certification and the government’s own communication apparatus. It runs the public-service broadcaster Prasar Bharati — Doordarshan and Akashvani (All India Radio) — and administers the statutory bodies that gate content and inform the public: the Central Board of Film Certification, the Press Council of India, the Press Information Bureau, the Central Bureau of Communication and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. Through the Cinematograph Act, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act it sets who may broadcast, publish and screen, and on what terms.
Its second, newer face reaches the internet. Under Part III of the IT Rules 2021 the ministry oversees publishers of online news and current affairs and providers of curated audio-visual (OTT) content through a three-tier self-regulation mechanism topped by a government oversight layer — a mandate that runs alongside, and interlocks with, the intermediary rules administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and, since 2026, the broadcasting-authorisation regime being moved under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 overseen with the Ministry of Communications. This seam between broadcast regulation and digital-content rules is the ministry’s most contested territory.
Desk maintained by IndiaStand editorial cycles. Officeholders are transient; this dossier tracks the institution.
Timeline since 1947
- reference
Ministry constituted at independence
The department for information, broadcasting, the press and cinema was formed as one of the earliest ministries of independent India, inheriting All India Radio and the government's information services.
- reference
Prasar Bharati Act enacted
Parliament passed the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 to convert Doordarshan and All India Radio into an autonomous public-service broadcaster; it was brought into force in 1997.
- reference
Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act
The Act placed cable television under a registration-and-Programme-Code regime administered by the ministry, the statutory spine of Indian broadcast-content regulation for the next three decades.
- reference
IT Rules 2021 notified; Part III brings online news and OTT under the ministry
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 split administration: MeitY runs Part II (intermediaries) while the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting administers Part III, the Digital Media Ethics Code for online news publishers and curated (OTT) content.
- reference
Press and Registration of Periodicals Act replaces the 1867 law
Parliament passed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, replacing the colonial-era Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 with online registration of periodicals under a Press Registrar General; the same year the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023 modernised film certification and anti-piracy law.
- gdelt
Draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill withdrawn
After a November 2023 draft and a revised July 2024 draft that would have extended a Programme Code and registration to OTT services, digital news and online content creators, the ministry withdrew the draft amid stakeholder criticism and recalled physical copies.
- gdelt
Draft Telecommunications broadcasting rules issued
The ministry released draft Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026 for consultation, moving authorisation of TV channels, DTH, HITS, IPTV, teleports, FM and community radio into the Telecommunications Act, 2023 framework in place of the 1995 Cable TV Act licensing regime, while omitting the earlier bill's OTT and content-control provisions.
Frequently asked
- What is Ministry of Information and Broadcasting?
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the Government of India's apex department for the press, radio and television broadcasting, film certification and government communication. It runs the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan and Akashvani), certifies films through the Central Board of Film Certification, and — under Part III of the IT Rules 2021 — oversees online news publishers and curated (OTT) content. It is the institution that sets the terms on which broadcast and, increasingly, digital audio-visual content reaches Indian audiences.
- When was Ministry of Information and Broadcasting established?
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was established 1947.
- What does Ministry of Information and Broadcasting do?
- Its remit covers Information, broadcasting, press and film policy, Public broadcasting through Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan and Akashvani / All India Radio), Film certification: the Central Board of Film Certification under the Cinematograph Act, Registration of periodicals and government communication (Press Information Bureau, Central Bureau of Communication, Press Registrar General), Digital content oversight: Part III of the IT Rules 2021 for online news and curated (OTT) content.
- What is the latest on Ministry of Information and Broadcasting?
- As of 2026-07-06: Draft Telecommunications broadcasting rules issued. The ministry released draft Telecommunications (Television, Radio and Associated Services) Rules, 2026 for consultation, moving authorisation of TV channels, DTH, HITS, IPTV, teleports, FM and community radio into the Telecommunications Act, 2023 framework in place of the 1995 Cable TV Act licensing regime, while omitting the earlier bill's OTT and content-control provisions.