New Delhi, 02-02-2021, IBW Team

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar has termed the Union Budget 2021-22 a “forward looking” one.

Incidentally, the budgetary support for one of his ministries, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), was pegged for FY 2021-22 at Rs 4071.23 crore, a shade lower than last year’s grant.

Speaking to the media after the presentation of Union Budget 2021-22, Javadekar said that the Coronavirus pandemic has hit economies across the world, but India has not only won the battle against COVID but is also moving forward in its fight against poverty and towards prosperity. 

Highlighting the massive budgetary boost in capital expenditure, the Minister said that the over Rs 5 lakh crore investment in infrastructure is a major initiative as it’d give a major fillip to employment.

Meanwhile, while overall budgetary support to autonomous bodies under MIB like the FTII, Pune and Satyajit Ray Film & TV Institute has increased, Mission Digitisation has been merged during 2021-22 with Main Secretariat under Establishment Expenditure head.

Up to budgetary estimates 2019-20 Mission Digitization was a separate scheme for effective monitoring of the seeding of STBs. 

India’s national broadcaster Prasar Bharati, parent of Doordarshan and All India Radio, has been granted Rs. 2640.11 crore by the government as budgetary support. Under the Prasar Bharati Act, the organization is designated as an autonomous body, but gets annual financial aid from the government.

The full details of the budgetary allocations to MIB can be read here: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/doc/eb/sbe60.pdf