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New Delhi: The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 4,358 crore to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, marking a decline from the Rs 4,627 crore revised estimate (RE) of 2024-25.
The funding towards information & publicity, art & culture, government scheme promotion & propagation, and institutes such as IIMC & FTII saw an increase; Prasar Bharati, NFDC, and children-related film initiatives, among others, suffered setbacks.
This year’s total budgetary allocations for MIB are valued at Rs 4,358 crores, compared to Rs 4,627 crores in the revised estimate (RE) of 2024-25. However, this portion of the country's exchequer is more than the allocation in the corresponding budget of the previous year and the actual (2023-24) figure of Rs 4,314 crores.
Regarding expenditures in the information and publicity of the I&B ministry, the government channeled Rs 1,210.76 crores, which is higher than the allocation in the corresponding budget of 2024-25. However, this represented a sudden slump from the revised estimates of Rs 1,505.45 crores for 2024–25. The capital outlay saw a jump of Rs 5 crores this year from Rs 38.84 crores the previous year.
From the dedicated Rs 4,358 crores, Rs 2,640.39 crores is slated to support the autonomous bodies under the MIB’s ambit. Out of the total budget estimate (BE) for autonomous bodies, most of the money is directed towards the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (Rs 2,379.70 crores). However, the public broadcaster registered a 3% decline compared to RE 2024-25.
The largest drop from the revenue stream, after Prasar Bharati, fell on the India Institute of Mass Communication (Rs 108.65 crores), followed by the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (Rs 89.11 crores). The RE 2024-25 for both autonomous bodies was valued at Rs 80.53 crore and Rs 73.11 crore, respectively, indicating a clear increase.
The art and culture budget, which covers expenditure in respect of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), increased by Rs 1.24 crore to reach Rs 38.26 crore.
This year, the government has maintained focus on the promotion and preservation of Indian cinema through film festivals and the production of new films and documentaries. This is evident by the increase of Rs 13 crores in the BE 2025–26. The financial allocation in this direction for this year is Rs 363 crores.
The Broadcasting Infrastructure Network Development (BIND) also remained buoyant in terms of expenditure. The Indian government, in order to spearhead the digitalisation & FMisation of the AIR Network and the upgrading of the capacity of the DTH platform to accommodate more channels, has maintained this year’s budget at Rs 500 crore.
The budget for the promotion and propagation of government schemes and programs for targeted beneficiaries is now Rs 89 crore stronger than the previous year’s figure of Rs 149.31 crores. NFDC’s (National Film Development Corporation) budget was slashed by Rs 6 crores this year, from the previous year’s allocation of Rs 23 crores.
The arms of the MIB, such as Exhibition of Children Films in Schools, Production of Children Films, and the National/International Children Film Festival, lost all funding, with the BE coming down to nil from the Rs 26 crores allocated the previous year.
The Indian government decreased funding to international bodies significantly, cutting down on the screening fee to producers/directors. The amount has come down from Rs 1.5 crore the previous year to just Rs 35 lakh in the union budget this year.
The Ministry of Tourism, in the union budget 2025, seemed to be cutting down on overseas as well as domestic promotion and publicity. While overseas expenditures, including the market development assistance (MDA), came down from Rs 33.02 crores to Rs 3.07 crores year-on-year, the domestic vertical also went down from Rs 176.97 crores to Rs 136.90 crores in the corresponding timeline.