Tag: Arun Jaitley

Ekta Kapoor, Karan Johar, Anand Mahindra to receive Padma Awards

MUMBAI: This year’s Padma awardee list is out. And it has quite a few worthy individuals on whom the Home Ministry is conferring various Padma Awards – right from Padma Vibhushan to the Bhushan to the Shri.

TV Czarina Ekta Kapoor, family drama producer and director Karan Johar, actor Kangana Ranaut, singer Suresh Wadkar, sitarist Manilal Nag, folk musician Anwar Khan Mangniyar, Gujarat theatre artist Yazdi Naoshirwan Karanjia, folk singer Shanti Jain, folk singer Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh, Sambalpuri lyricist Mitrabhanu Gountia, puppetry artist Yadla Gopalarao, musician Madan Singh Chauhan, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Surya Roshini chairman Jai Prakash Agarwal, singer Adnan Sami and Sarita Joshi have been conferred the Padma Shri for their distinguished contribution in the fields of art and business.

Anand Mahindra and TVS group boss Venu Srinivasan are two industrialists who are to be conferred the Padma Bhushan for their distinguished service of a high order to the nation and society.

Boxer Mary Kom is being recognised with the highest civilian honour – the Padma Bhushan. Others who have been listed to receive the same award include: Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, George Fernandes, Mauritian Anerood Jugnauth, Channulal Misra and Vishveshateertha Swamiji Pejavara Adhokhaja Matha Udupi.

The awards will be given away later this year.

January 27, 2020
IBF saddened by the untimely demise of Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: IBF (Indian Broadcasting Foundation), India’s apex body of television broadcasters is shocked and saddened by the untimely demise of Shri Arun Jaitley, former Finance Minister and MP. IBF President, NP Singh has expressed profound grief and sorrow on his death and called the loss to the country 'irreparable'. NP Singh adds that, "He will be remembered as a statesman and parliamentarian par excellence and a champion of free speech. We are deeply saddened by his sudden demise".

IBF salutes the statesmanship of Shri Arun Jaitley and acknowledges his immense contribution to the industry when he held the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting portfolio in the Modi government.

IBF believes that the vacuum caused by Shri Jaitley's death will be hard to fill and expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved family

August 26, 2019
Arun Jaitley’s portfolio as I&B minister had many gems

MUMBAI: Former union minister and one of the most senior and popular BJP veterans, Arun Jaitley died earlier this morning. He was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Delhi for the past several weeks.

A lawyer by profession, Jaitley had quite a prolific career as a politician as well. He held several posts in the union ministry under the BJP government, including minister of information and broadcasting, minister of law, justice, and company affairs & shipping, and minister finance.

The veteran will be remembered as a strong politician and policymaker for his contribution to the ministry of finance as well, which he led in the previous Modi government. The stalwart was lauded by the cable television industry when he exempted custom duty in several parts and components of electronic equipment including set-top boxes (STBs) for television or the internet, thus boosting the digitisation process for the TV industry.

In his term as the union minister of information and broadcasting between November 2014 and July 2016, Jaitley was responsible for many important government initiatives, including phase III of FM auctions, new business policy for publications divisions 2016, setting up of Film Facilitation Office (FFO), and introducing revised guidelines for advertisements in print and on websites.

The FFO, which acts as a single-window facilitation and clearance mechanism for filmmakers, was constituted with a view to promote and facilitate film shootings by foreign filmmakers in India. The services rendered by the FFO were later extended to Indian filmmakers as well. The body also gives out ‘Most Film Friendly State’ awards every year with the aim of promoting India as a filmmaking destination.

Under his leadership, a new business policy for Publications Division with the objective to streamline business practices in line with the contemporary trends prevailing in publications industry was also set up. One of the key highlights of the policy included promoting online readership by pricing the digital version of the publication at 75 per cent the price of printed version.

Jaitley also worked on promoting transparency and accountability in advertisement policies. The new print media advertisement policy introduced incentives for the newspapers who have better professional standing and get their circulation verified by ABC/ RNI among other important measures taken to streamline the print advertising paradigm.

He also focussed greatly on the growth of the digital ecosystem within the country during his tenure and revised the web advertising policy as well.

August 25, 2019
GST council brings down TV set price to 18% slab

MUMBAI: At the 31st Goods and Service Tax (GST) council meeting, GST rates on several items have been decided to be brought down from the top 28 per cent slab. Among the items that have been brought down from the 28 per cent slab to 18 per cent include monitors and television up to screen size of 32 inches.

Monitors and television screens along with other items have been brought down from 28 per cent to 18 per cent slab. Now, only the lmuxury and sins goods items will remain in the 28 per cent slab.

Along with the TV industry, this GST council has brought good news for the film industry too. As per the decision of today’s meet, cinema tickets upto Rs 100 will be brought down to 12 per cent slab from 18 per cent slab and above Rs 100 has been brought down to 18 per cent from 28 per cent.

According to media reports, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the new GST rates will be effective from 1 January 2019. He also added that new GST return filing system will come into effect from 1 July next year.

December 22, 2018
Times Network hosts India for Kerala Conclave

MUMBAI: Mr. Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister said, “My compliments go to the civil society of Kerala which has shown exemplary attitude in helping each other this hours of crisis. Armed Forces have done a tremendous job in the rescue operations. Now the process of providing flood relief is substantial work in progress. All agencies from Central Government are there to fully assist the state of Kerala in trying of rehabilitate the people of Kerala better than what they had earlier. I have asked the insurance companies to settle the claims, the banks to give loans so that people can get a breathing space in rebuilding life. Further aid from the Central Government will be given once the full estimate of the damage is done. I am sure we will see the quality life for the Keralites reinstated.”

Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala said, “Our focus for Kerala is two-pronged. While carrying out relief activities, we are also focusing on the emergence of a new Kerala. Through India for Kerala Conclave, I take this opportunity to make an appeal to each and every one of you to partner with the people of Kerala to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives of those devastated by rain and flood. I hope through this association with Times Network, the message will be conveyed across the length and breadth of the nation” ~

H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala said, “The floods may have rendered us weak for a while, but, our resolve was to strive and not to yield. The Honorable Prime Minister had clarified to me that the Rs.600 crore released by the Centre in addition to the Rs.562.45 crore already made available in the State Disaster Response Fund of Kerala, was only the advance aid and that additional funds will be released from National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure”

Mr. T. M. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala said, “The recent floods have created a frank open discussion in rethinking of the past developments and what could be done jointly in the present. We are thinking about a new edition of ‘Kerala Model’ of development. In our old edition, we have been successful in redistribution process so that everybody gets minimum quality life. If it was expected Rs. 60,000 to 70,000 crores for these developments, now an addition of Rs. 30,000 crore to this has become the need of the hour in expanding and re-building roads and infrastructure after the floods.

Thiruvananthapuram, September 5, 2018: Times Network, part of India’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group, hosted the ‘India for Kerala Conclave’ at Taj Vivanta, Thiruvananthapuram today. Focused on rebuilding and rehabilitating the State with a new vision, the conclave is an on-ground extension of the #IndiaforKerala campaign initiated by the Network. Inaugurated in the presence of H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, the Conclave was addressed by key decision and policy makers including Mr. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha amongst others. The Conclave also exhibited support for Kerala from various sectors including Government, Corporates and Mollywood.

Kerala has faced the worst calamity in over a century and the devastation is unprecedented. Rebuilding Kerala has to be a national priority, given the scale of the disaster. The State’s importance as a major tourism destination and its crucial role as a remittances hub and international links makes the action highly visible at the Global level and therefore a great branding opportunity for India to showcase its resilience and indomitable national spirit. The Conclave witnessed interactive sessions with eminent panellists from the political and corporate world deliberating the best possible ways to help the state and its people. There were some thought provoking discussions in sessions that included topics like ‘Rebuilding Kerala – What Will It Take’, ‘Kerala Economy Recast – Aid or Self Reliance’, ‘Citizens for Kerala’, ‘Social Media Impact: Help & Hindrance’ and ‘Reimagining Kerala’. Dignitaries like Mr. Shibu Baby John – RSP Leader, Mr. MK Muneer – IUML Leader, Mr. V Muralidharan – MP – BJP, Mr. Prashant Nair – IAS, Mr. Oomen V Oomen – former Chairman of Kerala Biodiversity Board, Mr. Harish Vasudevan – environmental lawyer, Mr. Rahul Easwar – author & activist, Padma Shri G Shankar – Architect, Mr. Jose Dominic – CEO, CGH Earth, Mr. George Lamannil – Executive Director and General Counsel, Muthoot Group, Mr. Salim Yusuf – South Head Taj Hotels, Mr. Jose Joseph – Executive Vice President at Federal Bank, and well-known personalities from the entertainment industry like Resul Pookutty, Rima Kallingal, Samyukta Menon, Major Ravi, Usha Uthup expressed their views to come together to partner with the people of Kerala to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives of those devastated by rain and flood.

As the citizens of Kerala came together to help each other selflessly, the India for Kerala Conclave also acknowledged the local heroes contribution and efforts. The local heroes felicitated included Air Marshal Suresh-Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command, Maj Gen Sanjeev Narain-General Officer Commanding- Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, Silvadasan Antony-Coastal Warrior, Vijay Sakhare-IPS-IG Ernakulum Range, Rajamanickam-IAS-Commissioner Food Safety along with actor Tovino Thomas.

MK Anand, MD & CEO, TIMES NETWORK said, “At a time, when one of our States is distressed, it is our responsibility as Indians to assist our displaced fellow citizens in every way we can. India For Kerala Conclave is an act of urgency that requires support and solidarity & this conclave is aimed to find robust solutions to rebuild the lives of the people of Kerala. I’m sure through collective efforts, we will not just be able to provide succour to the affected, but also lay the foundations for a better Kerala and more importantly create a model of National cooperation and fraternity that will be the basis of a stronger India. We at Times Network pledge to keep the narrative in favour of this spirit of solidarity.”

H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala said, “The floods may have rendered us weak for a while, but, our resolve was to strive and not to yield. The floods have left with many lives lost and destruction to properties. Farming sector has been washed away and the many developmental initiatives were rendered to a halt. We estimate around Rs.10,000 crore to rebuild our damaged roads and bridges. The Honourable Prime Minister had clarified to me that the Rs.600 crore released by the Centre in addition to the Rs.562.45 crore already made available in the State Disaster Response Fund of Kerala, was only the advance aid and that additional funds will be released from National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure. Today, the entire world stands with us and help is pouring in to Kerala, not just from our own people, but from other governments, corporates, workers, entrepreneurs, religious institutions, media houses, celebrities and even from the piggy-banks of our little children from around the country. We are extremely grateful to all and let me assure the world that we will prove worthy of your trust by rebuilding a Kerala that the world would admire.

Mr. T. M. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala, said, “The recent floods have created a frank open discussion in rethinking of the past developments and what could be done jointly in the present. We are thinking about a new edition of ‘Kerala Model’ of development. In our old edition, we have been successful in redistribution process so that everybody gets minimum quality life. If it was expected Rs 60,000 to 70,000 crores for these developments, now an addition of Rs 30,000 crore to this has become the need of the hour in expanding and re-building roads and infrastructure after the floods. The other concern is the damage the floods been done to the traditional industries of the state like Chendamangalam weaving and to Aranmula Mirror. Their living ways were destroyed and it is a concern of how to rebuild their lives as well”.

Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, said, “People of the state of Kerala beyond caste, religion, and politics came together during the flood operation. The youngsters did commendable work in spreading the word on getting help both on social media and on-ground. On the UAE aid controversy, I would like to clarify that there are far richer countries than India, which have accepted such aids. Even there is a written policy by the Narendra Modi government in 2016, which states that we can accept the aid offered by a foreign country but may not appeal for it. Kerala needs more financial support and more help in rebuilding the state. Kerala should consider the Bhuj Model of hosting a Rebuild Kerala Conference to bring in money and help in grands, loan or charity in helping the state. During the earthquakes in Bhuj 2001, Gujarat could raise Rs 1.7 billion partly in loan and grand for helping the state. But for that we need a credible assessment and hence I suggest, we seek help from the international agencies like UN in studying the destruction caused and based on it we can arrange conclaves in creating a new Kerala.”.

Times Network urges individuals and companies to come forward to join the campaign #IndiaforKerala to help their fellow Indians to rehabilitate, resettle and re-build Kerala to its glory. Continuing with its efforts, citizens can donate funds in form of cheques, in favour of “Times Foundation” to Times Foundation, 10, Daryaganj, New Delhi – 110002 or NEFT/RTGS. The collected amount will be donated to the Kerala CM’s Distress Relief Fund. Further details on the donation process can be accessed at www.timesnownews.com/IndiaForKerala

September 5, 2018
News consumption in South Indian languages during first 7 weeks of 2018

BENGALURU: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has started publishing weekly viewership data of top 5 news channels in each of the four South Indian languages in their respective markets since week 1 of 2018 ( Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday 5 January 2018) in the public domain. There are a number of news channels in each of the four southern languages. At the time of writing of this paper, data is available up to week 7 of 2018 (Saturday, 10 February 2018 to Friday, 16 February 2018). The languages and respective markets are Tamil – Puducherry/Tamil Nadu (TN); Telugu – Andhra Pradesh (AP) /Telangana; Kannada – Karnataka; Malayalam – Kerala. The audience profile is urban and rural: NCCS 2+ individuals. Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday, 16 February 2018 is the period under consideration or review in this paper. The impressions mentioned are generally the combined weekly impressions of the top 5 news channels of each language or the combined weekly impressions of each channel during the period under consideration. Only those channels that have appeared in BARC’s lists of top 5 channels for each language have been considered in this paper, with a mention of the periodic entrants to the lists.

Comparing news consumption in each of the markets, based on BARC’s combined weekly impressions data for top 5 news channels, news seems to be most watched in Telugu in the AP/Telangana and in Kannada in the Karnataka markets during the first seven weeks of 2018. Tamil news in the TN/Puducherry followed by Malayalam news in Kerala complete the four southern languages.

News viewership is generally event driven. The biggest event during the first seven weeks of 2018 was the announcement of the budget by Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley. Budget week or week 5 of 2018 (Saturday, 27 January 2018 to Friday, 2 February 2018) seems not to have made too much of an impact in terms of viewership growth for three of the four southern languages based on the sum of the weekly impressions of each week for each language (combined weekly impressions) While viewership of the top 5 news channels seems to have peaked in week 5 of 2018 for Kannada, it was the highest in week 6 (Saturday, 3 February 2018 to Friday 9 February 2018) in the case of Telugu and Malayalam. Combined viewership on the top 5 Tamil news channels seems to be declining – it had peaked in week 2 of 2018 (Saturday 6 January 2018 to Friday 12 January 2018).

Please refer to the figure below for combined weekly impressions of the top 5 news channels in each of the four southern languages.

In all the 4 languages, the order in ranks in terms of viewership of the top 3 or 4 channels has generally been the same. Week 7 of 2018 has seen some shuffling and upsets in ranks in the southern news channels.

Tamil News

Four channels have appeared during all the first seven weeks of 2018 in BARC’s weekly list for top 5 Tamil News channels. Polimer News was numero uno during all the first seven weeks of 2018 in terms of impressions garnering 245,313 impressions during the period under consideration in this paper. Puthiya Thalaimurai was ranked second during the first seven weeks of 2017 in terms of total impressions during the period – the channel garnered 202,887 impressions. The channel was ranked second during weeks 1,2,4 5 and 6 and ranked third in weeks 3 and 7 of 2018.

Thanti TV was the third most watched Tamil News channel between weeks 1 and 7 of 2018. Thanti TV was ranked second in weeks 3 and 7 and ranked third in weeks 1,2,4 5 and 6. The channel had 193,582 impressions during the first seven weeks of 2018.

News 7 Tamil was the fourth most watched Tamil News channel with 129,361 impressions during weeks 1 to 7 of 2018. The channel was ranked fourth between weeks 1 to 4 and 6 and 7 of 2017. In week 5 of 2017 the channel was ranked fifth. Sun News was the fifth most watchedchannel with 96,478 impressions during the first seven weeks of 2018. The channel was present in 6 of 7 weeks of 2018 among BARC’s weekly lists of 5 most watched Tamil news channels. Sun News exited the list in week 7 of 2017 to be replaced by News18 Tamil Nadu. Whilst in the top 5 Tamil news channels list, Sun News had weekly impressions of 96,478.

Telugu News

Four channels have been among BARC’s top 5 Telugu news channels during all the first 7 weeks of 2018, but with some shuffling in ranks. The biggest upset seems to be TV9 Telugu, which dropped to rank 2 in week 7 of 2018 from the first rank that it had held during the first six weeks of 2018. The second ranked NTV Telugu clambered to the first rank in week 7 of 2018.

During the period under review, TV9 Telugu was the most watched Telugu news channel with 345,162 impressions, followed by NTV Telugu with 293,500 impressions. TV 5 News was the third most watched Telugu News channel during the first 7 weeks of 2018 with 232,425 impressions. The channel was ranked third for the first 5 weeks of 2018, only to drop to rank 4 in week 6 and to drop even further to rank 5 in week 7 of 2018.

V6 News was the fourth most watched Telugu News channel during the first 7 weeks of 2018 with 214,283 impressions. The channel’s viewership seems to be improving with time. It was ranked fifth during the first four weeks of 2018, it climbed to rank 4 in week 5 and to rank 3 in weeks 6 and 7 of 2018.

Two channels – ABN Andhra Jy oti and 10 TV were also present in BARC’s list of top 5 Telugu news channels for four and three weeks each respectively.

Kannada News

In the Kannada news space, the ranks in terms of viewership seem to be well defined. The first four weeks saw the same news channels appear in the same rank and order for the five ranks. From week 5 of 2018, rank five has been a contest between two channels.

TV9 Kannada, Public TV, Suvarna News and News18 Kannada were the first, second, third and fourth most watched Kannada news channels respectively during the first 7 weeks of 2018. At first rank was TV9 Kannada with 484,427 impressions, followed by Public TV with 321,758 impressions during the period under consideration. Suvarna News was ranked third with 170,233 impressions followed by News 18 with 120,760 impressions.

BTV was ranked fifth during weeks 1 to 4 and week 6 of 2018. It exited BARC’s top 5 list in weeks 5 and 7 of 2018 to be replaced by Dighvijay 24×7 News.

Malayalam News

Four channels have consistently appeared in BARC’s top 5 Malayalam news channels list during the first 7 weeks of 2018. Three of them – Asianet News (235,849 impressions), Manorama News (107,903 impressions) and Mathrubhumi News (82,472 impressions) have been ranked first, second and third respectively in BARC’s lists during the first 7 weeks of 2018. The fourth channel – News 18 Kerala (36,972 impressions) has seen a small upset – it had moved down to rank 5 in week 7 of 2017 from the fourth rank that it consistently held during the first six weeks of 2018. Media One TV was in BARC’s list for weeks 1, 2, 4, 5 at rank 5 of 2018. It has climbed up a rank to fourth in week 7 of 2018. Two other channels – Janam TV (week 3 of 2018) and People TV (week 6 of 2018) were present in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Malayalam News channels during the period under review).

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February 27, 2018
Industry hails doubling of digital allocation

MUMBAI: One of the key points that came out of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Union Budget 2018-19 was the focus on Digital India. The allocation was doubled to Rs 3073 crore and the budget was clearly beyond wooing voters.

The government has decided to increase digital intensity in education and technology will be the biggest driver in improving quality of education. Jaitley aims to move from blackboard to digital board schools by 2022.

About Rs 14.34 lakh crore is to be spent on rural infrastructure. According to the budget, five lakh Wi-Fi hotspots will be setup to provide broadband access to five crore rural citizens, at the cost of Rs 10,000 crore.

ALTBalaji CMO Manav Sethi said, “It’s a great effort from the government if it’s executed well for connectivity. It is easier but more relevant to connect small villages and towns in India on Internet rather than roads. This connectivity has the potential to impact not only India’s entertainment options but their means of livelihood, healthcare and education.”

HAL Robotics MD Prabhakar Chaudhary says that the government has understood the need and capability of technology. “It’s great to see that the government is recognising future technology for building the nation’s future. Not only does this help in job creation but also advances the nation in competitive global space.”

Instappy founder & MD Ambika Sharma believes the move with empower society in areas like broadband and mobile connectivity. “Furthermore, the allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for the five lakh WiFi hotspots to provide broadband access to five crore rural citizens is also promising. With nearly 70 per cent of the country’s population living in rural and semi-urban geographies, the move will give the vision of a digital India a big boost and provide businesses an opportunity to upscale.”

Staqu CEO and co-founder Atul Rai believes that this year’s budget has not only taken significant steps towards the digital India vision but also towards inculcating the latest technologies like artificial intelligence for the national development. He said, “With NITI Aayog to establish a national programme for artificial intelligence, we look forward to supporting the nation with R&D support and more programmes like ABHED which is already assisting the polices forces with AI capabilities. With the advent of new technologies and the Indian government being equally eager to adopt them, we strongly foresee the nation to be on the road to transformation and emerge as one of the leading digital nations on the world map.”

Said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta: “Budget 2018 is clearly focussed on driving rural sector growth. This should result in higher rural incomes and therefore higher standards of living in rural India. Our baseline study indicated that economic prosperity and higher living standards go hand in hand with TV penetration and higher TV consumption. With only 2/3rd of Indian homes having access to TV, there is huge headroom for growth here, and this year’s budget should help drive up TV ownership and consumption in rural India. As head of a tech-driven research company, I am also excited to see government’s focus on machine learning, artificial intelligence and other such technologies of the future. One dampener for industry is the hike in basic customs duty on certain electronic equipment including LCD/LED/OLED screens, which would make TVs more expensive. Our barometers too are likely to get more expensive, and this will raise burden on industry for our planned panel expansion.”

Contradictory to that, nexGTv COO Abhesh Verma opines thinks that doubling the budget for the digital India scheme will be emerging as a major move towards assisting the nation to progress further. He commented, “The second development of investment of Rs 10,000 crore for rural Wi-Fi hotspots, giving five crore citizens access to broadband speed internet by the deployment of five lakh Wi-Fi hotspots should help bring more consumers online, increasing digital consumption of services like OTT, entertainment, banking, and e-commerce. We at nexGTv feel that all these steps are a definite plus for the significant growth of the digital businesses in the country.”

In the same track, News18.com editor language Nidheesh Tyagi feels that Arun Jaitley has really shown this government’s serious emphasis for digital India. He said, “An extra Rs 10,000 crore is provided to bring 50 million people through five lakh wifi hotspots in rural areas to this side of the digital divide. I am sure much of this action is going to happen in languages. We hope to see more use of digital payment through mobile spreading in the tier 3 / 4 towns and villages besides more connectivity on mobile, broadband and access to government services. Digitisation of agricultural markets will also benefit some 300 million farmers.” But he feels that more could have been achieved by reforms in telecom sector.

Haptik founder & CEO Aakrit Vaish has a similar opinion as Rai. He commented, “With NITI Aayog to establish a national programme for AI, this will not only significantly aid job creation but will also assist the government to move towards its vision.”

Government will take measures to stop cryptocurrency circulation, as it is not considered legal tender. Jaitley proposes use of blockchain technology to encourage digital payments and curb the use of cryptocurrencies, setting up of a national programme to encourage AI and providing easy internet access to villages.

Also Read:

Industry holds bright outlook for budget 2018

Union Budget 2018: Populist budget fails to excite industry at large

Guest Column: M&E sector pins hopes on a developmental budget

February 2, 2018
Union Budget 2018: Populist budget fails to excite industry at large

MUMBAI: The Union Budget finally arrived today with all eyes fixated on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He presented his fifth Union Budget, which was also the last one for the Modi government before India sets out to choose its new prime minister next year. Riding on optimism, different research firms, news broadcasters and media companies kept speculating for about a month on what exactly should this year’s budget hold for India.

While the Union Budget 2018 was essentially a populist budget as Lok Sabha elections are due next year, it turned out to be a rather disappointing one for the advertising and media industry but it was a big thumbs up for Digital India and digitisation. The budget focused on the middle class and rural population, guided by the mission to strengthen India’s agriculture, rural development, health, education, employment, MSME and infrastructure sectors.

With a view to promote digitisation, the government is set to make the necessary investment in robotics, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), digital manufacturing and big data analysis with the NITI Aayog to establish a national programme to direct efforts in artificial intelligence. The government has committed itself to the development of technology along with concentrating on AI and its applications, a revolutionary move for the digital industry. The ministry has decided to double its Digital India budget to around Rs 3000 crore.

The ministry has also proposed to set up 5 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots to give access to 5 crore rural citizens, which means digital and internet penetration into smaller pockets of the country will result in increased data consumption across India. The move will help brands, agencies and OTT players to create target content for such markets.

In a move to regulate the cryptocurrency market in India, Jaitley said that the government would take essential measures to eliminate the use of crypto assets in financing illegitimate activities. He, however, maintained that the Indian government will explore the use of block chain technology proactively to usher in the digital ecosystem.

Jaitley also announced the allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for creation and augmentation of telecom infrastructure. He also noted that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) are a major element for growth and mass formalisation of the MSME sector is slated to happen after demonetisation and GST, which took place in 2016-17.

In what turned out to be the world’s largest government-funded healthcare programme, Indian ministry will launch health scheme to cover 10 crore poor families. The flagship national healthcare protection scheme of the government will provide upto Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation of members.

The television and handset companies did receive a blow as mobile phones are now set to become costlier as the custom duty on them has been increased to 20 per cent. The move comes with an aim to promote the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Customs duty on crude edible vegetable oils such as groundnut oil, safflower seed oil has been hiked from 12.5 per cent to 30 per cent while on refined edible vegetable oil it has been hiked from 20 per cent to 35 per cent. Customs duty on imitation jewellery’s been increased from 5 per cent to 15 per cent in 2016 to 20 per cent now with duty on sunglasses, cigarette lighter, toys, bus and truck tyres, select furniture also seeing a similar hike. The import duty on smart watches, wearable devices, footwear has now been doubled to 20 per cent whereas the duty on LCD/LED/OLED panels has been hiked to 15 per cent. The import of solar-tempered glass for manufacture of solar cells will be exempted from customs duty.

While the health and education cess has been increased to 4 per cent, the aam aadmi who was positive about having to pay less tax will be disappointed as the government did not propose any change in the tax slabs for the salaried class this year.

Also Read:

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February 1, 2018

Industry holds bright outlook for budget 2018

MUMBAI: With the D-Day already here, the media and entertainment industry is keeping its fingers crossed after a difficult year that bore the full brunt of the introduction of GST. With things settling and the general elections not too far away, a more populist budget is expected from FM Arun Jaitley and his ministry this year. While all eyes will be on the fiscal consolidation roadmap and borrowing plans, the government’s action plan for ease of doing business will be in sharp focus.

Indiantelevision.com asked industry veterans for their views on what’s likely to transpire during the mega event today. This is what they had to say:

“This is the last budget before the general elections, I think it will be a populist and a good budget. It should help the spending and the overall industry which will directly help advertising.

Broadcast industry went through a major cyclic process when demonetisation and GST happened. With helping the advertising industry this budget will bring good growth to the media industry as well. It will also help in increasing the consumption, expenditure.

Over the sentiment will get better, India as a country is very sentiment driven. If the budget is good, the general public will also be happy and half the things are taken care.”

— TV18 president-revenue & CEO Forbes India Joy Chakraborthy

“Entertainment and media industry is not just a participant but also carrier of digital revolution in the country. Therefore, policy makers should step up to rationalise the taxation aspects impacting digital ecosystem. Towards this end, clarification may be provided on applicability of Rule 9A of the Income Tax Rules to income from sale of digital rights of feature films certified for theatrical exhibition. Also, with the growth in production, distribution and consumption of ‘web only’ content, provisions similar to those for feature films may be applied or at least clarity may be provided on its deductibility as revenue expenditure.

Though India is one of the large cinema markets around the world when it comes to admissions, the market in tier II and tier III cities still remains underserved given the limited number of screens. A weighted deduction may be provided for developing, maintaining and operating single screen theatres or multiplexes in such tier II and tier III cities.

GST was introduced with an intention to subsume multiple taxes levied by the State and the Union. This had come as a major relief to all the industries including the media and entertainment industry, with of course, industry discomfort on the rate of GST is undeniable. However, many states (like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat) have started imposing local body entertainment tax on movies. Levy of local body entertainment tax on movies exhibited defeats the whole purpose of GST. Therefore, the government should either remove the levy in itself or at least put a minimum cap on exhibition of movies.”

– PWC partner-India entertainment and media sector leader Frank Dsouza

“Now that the GST jitters are receding and GDP growth rebounding to 6.3 per cent in Q2 of FY 2017-18, I am confident about growth of broadcast industry in FY 2018-19. Having said that, I wish to see average GST rate for media and entertainment sector be brought down from existing 18 per cent to pre-GST levels of 15 per cent. I am hopeful about Finance minister keeping his words by reducing the corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent as promised by him in the union budget 2015-16 speech.”

— BTVI COO Megha Tata

public://Vikas Khanchandani.jpg “The M&E industry will continue on its exponential growth path as we get high speed data connectivity and the corresponding data costs continue to decline. Data growth has risen on the back of high video consumption on the go and will continue to play a pivotal role for growth in both M& E and Telecom sectors. Keeping in mind the expected growth, one long -pending wish I have from the Budget is the recognition of the M&E industry as an integral part of the Infrastructure sector so that it can avail of the various benefits and incentives that are given to the Infrastructure sector. This includes better financing options, to help boost the capital investments needed in digitisation and digitalisation, technology upgradation and new technology development and deployment. The net benefit of all of the above will always flow back to the consumer.”

— Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani

“To realise the Digital India dream, it is important to promote broadband. MSO are the best to roll out faster Broadband being already have fibre reaching homes, building, society etc. Being high capex requirement of business, the industry expect that Budget will give relief to Industry by removing the AGR.”

— GTPL Hathway Ltd head-investor relations Piyush Pankaj

public://Rahul Puri.jpg “The budget for 2018 will be a greatly important budget as the elections for 2019 are only a year away. I think there will be some changes to the direct tax structure this year as indirect taxes were given the biggest ever overhaul last year in terms of the introduction of GST. I also feel that there will be increased spending on infrastructure likely to be announced this budget as the government looks to employ some populist measures with one eye on elections.
As for the entertainment industry, I hope some clarity comes through on GST with relation to multiplexes as it’s important that the industry sees consistency. I also am hopeful that as the government looks to help increase infrastructure capacity, the multiplex and retail segments get a much-needed boost.”

— Mukta Arts & Mukta A2 Cinema MD Rahul Puri

“Transparency was one of the declared objectives of digitisation and this has been achieved with the efforts and investments by MSOs and operators. Today, majority of the benefits of transparency flows to the government and broadcasters. It’s time that the government recognised the contribution of small entrepreneurs in establishing this industry, the reality that television is much more than entertainment, and the need to share the benefits of transparency with MSOs, operators and consumers by way of overall reduction in taxes to the sector.”

— KCCL CEO Shaji Mathews

“From a personal standpoint this will be an interesting budget to see how economic reforms and political compulsions are balanced. But from an industry stand point I’m hoping that digital transactions and e commerce get a positive deal and in effect making them further appealing to consumers. If done it will be a game changer for Digital India.”

— The Glitch co-founder and content chief Varun Duggirala

February 1, 2018

CNN-News18 ‘Indian of the year’ 2017 special Telecast on 9 and 10 December

MUMBAI: The awards night of the annual and flagship initiative of CNN-News18, ‘Indian of the Year – 2017’ will be telecasted on the 9 and 10 of December at 9:30 PM on the channel. The initiative, whichrecognizes and awards the exceptional contribution and achievements of the iconic Indian citizens and organizations, has already received exceptional interest from all over India.

The event, in its eleventh year, witnessed participation from several industry stalwarts, ministers, and renowned personalities from the sports and film fraternity – Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley, Minister of Commerce, Suresh Prabhu, Stalwarts of the Indian Cricket Fraternity, Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri, Mithali Raj and Kapil Dev, the newly crowned Miss World Manushi Chhillar, Actors Rajkkumar Rao & Ramya Krishnan, Business Honchos Adar Poonawala & Acharya Balkrishna to name a few.

Sharing his thoughts on the Awards, TV18 president- revenue and Forbes India CEO Joy Chakraborthy said,“Over the past ten years, CNN-News18 Indian of the Year awards have evolved to a significant stature, recognizing the outstanding contributions of the Indians in various categories. The colossal success of this initiative in the past decade, including participation by some of the country’s most distinguished citizens, has raised the bar for this platform making it one of the most accredited awards in the industry. I am of the firm belief that a marquee event like this not only builds equity for the channel but also creates tremendous value for the brands associating with it and my belief was validated when over 10 sponsors partnered with us this year.”

Presented by Jio, this year, the reach of the Awards was multifold. The audience included not just the ones seated at the venue but also across the nation with the event being digitally streamed live on the JioTV app & news18.com and through live television dip-ins on CNN-News18, engaging audiences across the country. It was followed widely on social media and trended on twitter with #IndianoftheYear all through the star-studded evening.

Ace badminton player, Kidambi Srikanth was the winner in the sports category while lawyer and environmentalist Afroz Shah took the honors in the Public Service category. Acharya Balkrishna emerged as 2017’s ‘Indian of the Year’ in Business and Rajkummar Rao was adjudged the winner in the entertainment category. In addition to these, Adar Poonawalla was conferred the Outstanding Achievement in Business & CSR award, Indian Women’s Cricket Team and Miss World Manushi Chhillar were Special Achievement awardees and Team Baahubali was given the Outstanding Achievement award.

The highlight of the grand finale was the final award of the night, the overall ‘CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2017’, an honour that went to the Captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli.

December 9, 2017