The Union Government has slashed the allocation to Rs 3980.77 crore to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for 2022-23. This Budget estimate for 2021-22 was Rs 4071.23 crore, which was later revised to Rs 3764.69 crore. In FY 2020-21, the actual budgetary allocation to the ministry was at Rs 3380.44 crore.
Broadcasting and Information and Publicity are the major cost heads for the MIB. Of the Rs 3980.77 crore, the broadcasting segment has been dished out Rs 2839.29 crore, which is lower than the 2021-22 budget estimate of Rs 2921.11 crore and the revised estimate of Rs 2784.22 crore. The ministry had assigned Rs 2671.43 crore for the broadcasting sector in 2020-21.
Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati’s allocation has also been slashed to Rs 2555.29 crore compared to the budget and revised estimates of Rs 2640.11 crore and Rs 2629.03 crore respectively in 2021-22. The actual allocation for the public broadcaster was Rs 2494.97 crore in 2020-21.
Information & Publicity has been allotted Rs 942.04 crore as against a budget estimate of Rs 971.26 crore in 2021-22 and a revised estimate of Rs 815.13 crore. In 2020-21, the Information and Publicity segment had received Rs 622.93 crore.
The Information & Publicity cost head covers media units like Bureau of Outreach and Communication, Press Information Bureau (PIB), Publications Division, New Media Wing, Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), National Film Archive of India (NFAI), and Electronic Media Monitoring Centre.
Meanwhile, the Union Government has budgeted revenue of Rs 1035.02 crore from the broadcasting sector in 2022-23, as per the receipt budget document of the Finance Ministry. The government’s revenue from broadcasting includes receipts of license fees from direct to home (DTH) operators, Commercial Services (TV), Commercial Services (FM), and other receipts.
For 2021-22, the government had budgeted revenue of Rs 1164.75 crore from the broadcasting sector, however, the revised revenue receipt stood at Rs 1685.02 crore. In 2020-21, the government’s earnings from this segment stood at Rs 1788.52 crore.
The government has projected earnings of Rs 33.28 crore from the Information & Publicity segment in 2022-23. During the current financial year (2021-22), the government had budgeted revenue of Rs 44.55 crore that was later revised to Rs 22.38 crore. In 2020-21, the Information & Publicity segment had generated Rs 138.25 crore for the government.
Information & Publicity receipts include revenue from Employment News & other Publications, receipts from Directorate of Films Division, and Bureau of Outreach & Communication (erstwhile DAVP).
