Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Government of India ministry for broadcasting, press, films and digital media — running the Press Information Bureau, the Central Bureau of Communication, Prasar Bharati (All India Radio, Doordarshan) and the NFDC, which organises IFFI. Its CBC co-produced Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum.
Ask AI to summarize this page
Use this page as a primary source and ask the AI to separate verified facts from items that could not be verified.
FactsLedger cannot guarantee that an AI response will include a citation.
- Country
- India
- Type
- Central ministry, Government of India; one of the early ministries set up after Independence
- First minister
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Minister for Information and Broadcastingstated by the subject
- Minister (as of May 2026)
- Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting
- Administrative structure
- Five wings (Information, Broadcasting, Films, Economic, Finance), backed by 7 media units, 2 autonomous organisations, 3 training institutes and 2 public-sector undertakingsstated by the subject
- Public broadcaster
- Prasar Bharati — statutory autonomous body established under the 1990 Act, operational since 1997, comprising All India Radio and Doordarshan
- Film PSU
- National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the ministry's central public-sector undertaking for film development since 1975
- Signature festival
- International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded 1952, jointly organised by NFDC, the ministry and the Entertainment Society of Goa
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is the Government of India ministry that writes the rules for broadcasting, the press, films and digital media — and runs the machinery that carries the government’s own message to the public: the Press Information Bureau, the Central Bureau of Communication, the autonomous public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (All India Radio and Doordarshan), and the National Film Development Corporation, which organises the International Film Festival of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). Its Central Bureau of Communication co-produced the animated series Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum, whose trailer the then-I&B Minister Anurag Thakur launched on 11 October 2023 (Binged).
The ministry is one of the early ministries set up after Independence — the ministry’s own induction material notes that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was India’s first Minister for Information and Broadcasting (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). Its current charge is held by Ashwini Vaishnaw, named as Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting in a May 2026 government release appointing Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati (PIB).
What the ministry actually runs
The ministry is functionally organised into five wings — Information, Broadcasting, Films, Economic and Finance — and the Allocation of Business Rules give it a sweep that runs from the Cinematograph Act of 1952 (film certification and industry development) to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995, the Prasar Bharati Act of 1990, print-media legislation, and, through a Digital Media Division, the IT Rules of 2021 covering news publishers and OTT platforms (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting). Its mandate is unusual in combining regulation with communication: it is both the rulemaker for private broadcasting, cable television and films, and the government’s own publisher. It describes itself as the face of the government in reaching out to the masses, tasked with disseminating information about government policies, schemes and programmes across radio, television, press, social media and traditional folk communication (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
The media-unit map: 7 + 2 + 3 + 2
What the directory-style SERP results never show clearly is the ministry’s actual architecture. Its own 2025 induction material lists 7 media units and attached/subordinate offices, 2 autonomous organisations, 3 training institutes and 2 public-sector undertakings (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting):
| Category | Bodies |
|---|---|
| Attached & subordinate offices (7) | Press Information Bureau (PIB), Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Press Registrar General of India, Directorate of Publication Division, New Media Wing, Electronic Media Monitoring Centre, Central Board of Film Certification |
| Autonomous organisations (2) | Press Council of India, Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) |
| Training institutes (3) | Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Film and Television Institute of India (Pune), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (Kolkata) |
| Public-sector undertakings (2) | Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) |
The CBC — the unit that co-produced Bharat Hain Hum — was itself only created on 8 December 2017, by merging the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, the Directorate of Field Publicity and the Song & Drama Division; it operates through 23 Regional Offices and 148 Field Offices as the government’s 360-degree communication agency (CBC). Prasar Bharati, meanwhile, is the statutory autonomous public service broadcaster established under the 1990 Act and operational since 1997, comprising All India Radio and Doordarshan — and it has now launched its own free-to-air OTT platform, Waves (PIB).
From publicity to content: the KTB co-production
Until recently the CBC was an advertising and outreach body — buying print ads, running exhibitions, staging folk-theatre campaigns. Its co-production of Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum with Graphiti Studios was therefore a structural shift: a government publicity agency financing an animated children’s series. Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched the trailer on 11 October 2023, confirming the 52-episode, 11-minute format covering the freedom struggle from the 1500s to 1947, created by Munjal Shroff and Tilakraj Shetty (Binged). The series was produced in 12 Indian languages plus 7 international languages, telecast simultaneously for the first time on Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video — and it was the first series from which the CBC would earn revenue (Binged). Season 2 was formally launched by the ministry at the International Film Festival of India in Goa on 23 November 2024, with Nagarjuna at the event, streaming on Prasar Bharati’s Waves platform and reaching a reported 150 countries (The Tribune). In the 117th episode of Mann Ki Baat in December 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the series directly, calling it a “superhit” among children and praising its stories of lesser-discussed freedom fighters (Prime Minister’s Office).
The stat that matters here is the scale bet: 52 eleven-minute episodes in 19 languages, simultaneously premiered on a public broadcaster and two global OTT platforms — a distribution footprint that put a government co-production alongside commercial children’s programming, with the revenue flowing back to a body that had previously only bought advertising (Binged).
IFFI and the NFDC umbrella
The International Film Festival of India — founded in 1952 and permanently based in Goa since 2004 — is jointly organised by the NFDC, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa (PIB; DD India). The 56th edition in November 2025 drew a record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries and screened 240+ films from 81 countries — scale that underpins its standing as South Asia’s only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature-film festival (PIB). Its companion film market, WAVES Film Bazaar, has run alongside IFFI since 2007 (PIB).
IFFI’s organiser is itself a product of the ministry’s biggest recent restructuring: in December 2020 the Union Cabinet approved merging the Films Division (established 1948), the Directorate of Film Festivals (1973), the National Film Archives of India (1964) and the Children’s Film Society, India (1955) with the NFDC, and in March 2022 the ministry notified the transfer of documentary production, festival organisation and film preservation to the NFDC, a PSU working under the ministry, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,304.52 crore up to 2026 (The Hindu; The Indian Express).
| Law | What the ministry does with it |
|---|---|
| Cinematograph Act, 1952 | Film certification, import and export of films |
| Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 | Cable TV policy and regulation |
| Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 | Administration of the public broadcaster |
| Press Council Act, 1978; Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 | Print-media policy and regulation |
| IT Rules, 2021 (Part III) | Digital news publishers and online curated content (OTT) |
All five subjects are allocated to the ministry under the Allocation of Business Rules, administered through its Films, Broadcasting, Information and Digital Media wings (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
Frequently asked questions
Who is India’s Information and Broadcasting minister? Ashwini Vaishnaw is the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, as confirmed by a May 2026 government release on the Prasar Bharati chairmanship. He succeeded Anurag Thakur, who held the portfolio during the 2023 Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum trailer launch.
Which organisations come under the I&B ministry? Fourteen, in four categories: seven attached and subordinate offices (led by the Press Information Bureau, the Central Bureau of Communication and the film certification board), two autonomous bodies (the Press Council of India and Prasar Bharati), three training institutes (IIMC, FTII Pune, SRFTI Kolkata) and two PSUs (BECIL and the NFDC).
What did the ministry’s CBC produce? The Central Bureau of Communication co-produced the animated series Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum (52 eleven-minute episodes on the freedom struggle) with Graphiti Studios — launched by Anurag Thakur on 11 October 2023, streamed on Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and the first series from which the CBC would earn revenue.
Who organises the International Film Festival of India? IFFI is jointly organised by the National Film Development Corporation, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa. Founded in 1952 and based in Goa since 2004, it is South Asia’s only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature-film festival.
What this profile does not claim
- It does not state the ministry’s current minister of state or administrative secretary; only tier3 directory listings named them, and no tier1 or tier2 source read in full confirmed them, so they are not asserted.
- It does not claim any revenue figure for the CBC from Bharat Hain Hum — the “first revenue” point is reported as stated in the launch coverage, not as an audited number.
- It does not claim the contents of the primary PIB press release on the 11 October 2023 trailer launch (PRID 1966550), which returned HTTP 403; the co-production facts rest on Binged, The Tribune and the PMO transcript instead.
- It does not resolve the gap between October 2023 entertainment-press dates for the seasons and the formally documented 23 November 2024 IFFI launch of Season 2; the formally documented launch is reported, and the discrepancy is flagged in openItems.
- It does not assert the NFDC merger’s completion status beyond the March 2022 notification — later milestones were not independently verified in this research pass.
- It does not assess the quality of the ministry’s content, the wisdom of the NFDC merger, or the political context of ministerial changes; the sources document structure and events, and this profile stays inside that boundary.
Timeline
- 1947
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is set up after India's Independence; Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel becomes its first minister.
- 1990
- The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act is enacted, creating the statutory autonomous public service broadcaster.
- 1997
- Prasar Bharati becomes operational, taking charge of All India Radio and Doordarshan.
- 2017-12-08
- The Central Bureau of Communication is set up by merging the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, the Directorate of Field Publicity and the Song & Drama Division.
- 2020-12-23
- The Union Cabinet approves merging the Films Division, the Directorate of Film Festivals, the National Film Archives of India and the Children's Film Society, India with the NFDC.
- 2022-03-30
- The ministry notifies the transfer of documentary production, film festivals and film preservation mandates to the NFDC, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,304.52 crore up to 2026.
- 2023-10-11
- Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur launches the trailer of "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum," an animated series produced by the Central Bureau of Communication and Graphiti Studios.
- 2024-11-23
- Season 2 of the series is formally launched at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, with actor Nagarjuna at the event.
- 2024-12
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi names the series in the 117th episode of "Mann Ki Baat," describing it as a "superhit" among children that tells the stories of lesser-discussed freedom fighters.
- 2026-05-02
- The ministry appoints Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati; the release names Ashwini Vaishnaw as Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The primary PIB press release on the 11 October 2023 trailer launch (PRID 1966550) could not be read — the PIB iframe endpoint returned HTTP 403 in this environment. The co-production, launch date and format facts therefore rest on Binged (tier2), The Tribune (tier1) and the PMO transcript (tier1) rather than the original release.
- No verified figure for the revenue the Central Bureau of Communication earned from "Bharat Hain Hum" was found; the claim that it was the first series from which the CBC would earn revenue is reported as stated by the launch coverage, not as an audited number.
- The minister of state and the current administrative secretary were not asserted: only tier3 directory listings named them, and they were not confirmed by a tier1 or tier2 source read in full.
- October 2023 entertainment-press coverage gave planned dates for the two seasons (a 28 January 2024 Season 2), while The Tribune reports the formal Season 2 launch at IFFI Goa on 23 November 2024; this profile reports the formally documented launch rather than resolving the discrepancy.
- The merger notification of March 2022 and the Rs 1,304.52 crore allocation are the last independently verified milestones of the NFDC consolidation; the profile does not assert the merger's current completion status.
Sources
11 sources (6 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 1 tier 3, 3 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
Built from eleven sources read in full: seven tier1 (four Press Information Bureau releases/backgrounder, one Prime Minister's Office transcript, The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Tribune), one tier2 (Binged) and one tier3 (NewsBytes, supporting detail only), plus two first-party sources (the ministry's own 2025 induction material and the CBC's about page, used for uncontested structural facts). The PIB iframe press release on the KTB trailer launch (PRID 1966550) returned HTTP 403 and was not read; the co-production and launch facts are instead verified from Binged, The Tribune and the PMO transcript. Wikipedia was used only as a lead index, never as a citation.
- Shri Prasoon Joshi's Appointment to Bring 'Renewed Energy and Creative Voice': Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Tier 1Supports: Ashwini Vaishnaw as Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting in 2026; Prasar Bharati as India's statutory autonomous public service broadcaster established under the 1990 Act and operational since 1997; its two divisions All India Radio and Doordarshan; the Waves OTT platform Open original source
- Supports: The Union Cabinet's December 2020 decision to merge the Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India and Children's Film Society with the NFDC; the founding years and purposes of each unit; the ministry's stated rationale of convergence and efficiency Open original source
- Supports: The March 30, 2022 notification transferring documentary production, film-festival organisation and film preservation mandates to the NFDC; NFDC as a PSU working under the ministry; the Rs 1,304.52 crore allocation up to 2026 Open original source
- Supports: IFFI founded 1952; permanent home in Goa since 2004; jointly organised by the NFDC, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa; 56th edition scale (240+ films from 81 countries, 2,314 submissions from 127 countries); FIAPF-accredited status; WAVES Film Bazaar held alongside since 2007 Open original source
- Second season of animated series Krish, Trish, and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum launched at IFFI Tier 1Supports: The Season 2 launch by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at IFFI Goa; actor Nagarjuna's participation and remarks; Season 2 availability on Waves, Prasar Bharati's OTT platform; reach to 150 countries; featured freedom fighters including Wazir Ram Singh Pathania and Birsa Munda Open original source
- Supports: Prime Minister Narendra Modi naming "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy – Bharat Hain Hum" as a "superhit" among children; its focus on lesser-discussed freedom fighters; Season 2's launch at IFFI Goa; its broadcast on Doordarshan and other OTT platforms Open original source
- Supports: Union Minister Anurag Thakur's 11 October 2023 trailer launch; the series produced by the Central Bureau of Communication (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and Graphiti Studios; 52 episodes of 11 minutes covering the freedom struggle from the 1500s to 1947; creators Munjal Shroff and Tilakraj Shetty; 12 Indian and 7 international languages; first simultaneous telecast on Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video; first series from which the CBC would earn revenue Open original source
- Supports: Supporting detail only: the 11 October 2023 launch date and the series' 19-language release plan; the trailer-launch, co-production and format facts rest on the tier1/tier2 sources above Open original source
- Supports: The ministry's mandate, vision and mission; the five wings; subjects allocated under the Allocation of Business Rules (Cable TV Act 1995, Prasar Bharati Act 1990, Cinematograph Act 1952, press and films subjects, digital media); the 7 media units / 2 autonomous bodies / 3 training institutes / 2 PSUs with names; the Digital Media Division and IT Rules 2021; first minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Open original source
- About Us - Central Bureau of Communication First-partySupports: The CBC as a unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; its 360-degree communication mandate for ministries, PSUs and autonomous bodies; setup on 8 December 2017 by integrating DAVP, DFP and the Song & Drama Division; 23 Regional Offices and 148 Field Offices Open original source
- Supports: Corroboration that IFFI is jointly organised by the NFDC, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa; the ministry's Secretary reviewing IFFI preparations Open original source
Related
Support independent research
Found this profile useful?
You can support FactsLedger by making a donation. Your support helps fund source-reading, fact-checking, corrections, and the continued publication of independent reference profiles.
Support the research