With no solution emerging in the legal battle between music companies and private FM radio operators over royalty rates, many of the 37 private FM radio companies have threatened to shut shop soon, restricting choices for over 200 million FM radio listeners to All India Radio channels.
Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart in Washington from October 26-28, the state department said in a press release on Monday.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday declined an interim relief order that would restrain Google from levying service fees on app developers until a final decision is made by the regulator. The CCI also said the Director General (DG) would continue its investigation as ordered by the commission in its March 15 order. "The Commission is of the considered opinion that no case whatsoever has been made out by the informants which warrant the grant of interim relief. Resultantly, the applications stand dismissed," said the CCI while rejecting the plea by app developers in its order.
The government on Thursday cleared guidelines of the much-delayed FM Radio Phase III expansion that will allow private radio channels to broadcast news of All India Radio and enable revenue generation of Rs 1,733 crore (Rs 17.33 billion) from the auction of license for services in 227 cities.
Radio Mid-Day West India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Mid-Day Multimedia Ltd, has sent a conditional notice to Information and Broadcasting Ministry to surrender its FM license in Mumbai, effective Sunday.
At present private radio stations are not allowed to broadcast news. The government's new move comes at a time when it is in the process of finalising the process for the third phase of FM radio expansion in India.
It will be the second FM radio operator to have listed on the BSE, after Entertainment Networks India Ltd that operates its radio business under the Radio Mirchi brand.
Radio City 91 FM, an FM radio station jointly promoted by Music Broadcast Private Ltd and STAR TV, hopes to break even in next two years time, provided there is a slash in the FM radio broadcaster licensing fee.
The finance minister has emphasised on the quick disbursal of additional loans to MSMEs, to simplify process, formats and documentation.
The government is planning to set up a facility that will monitor the programme content that is broadcast on FM Radio stations during the 12th five year plan.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to hold separate bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Russia's Sergey Lavrov at a beach resort in Goa on Thursday on the sidelines of a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) amid rapidly evolving regional security situation.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, met with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Washington, DC.
The move would help in further promoting ease of doing business in the country.
The I&B ministry has intimated January 14 and 24 as the new dates for the auction instead of December 29 and January 10.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the mass consumption items such as pulses, wheat, rice, flour, and curd will not attract the 5 per cent goods and services tax (GST) when sold loose, and not pre-packed or pre-labelled. The clarification came amid protests and widespread criticism by Opposition Members of Parliament over foisting GST on daily-use essentials and subsequent price rise. The all-powerful GST Council, chaired by the Union minister, had last month decided to impose GST on some mass consumption items to simplify the rate structure, which came into effect on Monday.
Later, Sitharaman's office clarified that the FM had already met the industrialists, experts, and economists during the pre-budget consultations.
I&B ministry to lease out AIR towers to private FM operators in the sensitive north-east region.
His trip to Moscow comes days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Russian capital to attend a meeting of the defence ministers of the eight-nation SCO of which both India and China are members.
Anil Ambani-controlled Adlabs and Hindustan Times' HT Music & Entertainment have bagged licences in the second phase of FM radio expansion, including Delhi and Mumbai.
Taking lessons from that, I would think seamless digital payments is something you have to clearly have a roadmap for, the FM said.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the highest civilian awards from 13 countries, including six with predominantly Muslim population.
The government on Thrusday allowed 20 per cent foreign direct investment in FM radio and recommended shifting to revenue sharing regime from the current licence fee structure.
Addressing the inaugural session of the joint conference of chief ministers and chief justices of high courts in Delhi last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to them to give priority to cases related to undertrial prisoners languishing in jails and release them, as per law, based on human sensitivities.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the National Rural Livelihood Mission has achieved remarkable success by mobilising rural women into 1 lakh SHGs (self help groups).
This is the first Budget in Amrit Kaal, she said.
Slamming the Budget, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said the Modi government was in complete denial that the economy faces a "grave macro economic challenge" and it has given up on reviving the economy, accelerating growth or creating jobs. There is nothing in the Budget that leads one to believe that growth will revive in 2020-21 and the claim of 6 to 6.5 per cent growth next year is "astonishing and even irresponsible", the former finance minister said at a press conference.
Lifting restrictions on airing news and current affairs and permitting licensees to own multiple licences are among a host of issues Trai has put up in its first consultation paper on FM radio privatisation on Wednesday.
An indication in this regard was given by Minister of Information and Broadcasting P R Dasmunsi, who acknowledged that there has been pressing demand from the radio broadcasters to let them air news along with entertainment and gossip.
The finance minister (FM) in his speech confirmed growth forecasts in the Economic Survey that the economy is likely to grow at 8.6 per cent during the current fiscal.
Taking a strong view of Google pulling out some apps from its Play Store, the government on Saturday said delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted and that the tech company and the startups concerned have been called for a meeting next week. In an interview to PTI, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the startup ecosystem is key to the Indian economy and their fate cannot be left to any big tech to decide. The minister's comments assume significance as Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments, even as apps and well-known startup founders cried foul.
Telecom service provider Reliance Communications on Monday introduced two new Classic colour phones with FM radio, aiming to tap a higher market share in this segment.
This is significant because the ministry of information and broadcasting is actively looking at making a policy announcement for the third-phase roll out of FM radio as part of its action plan for the first 100-days of the United Progressive Alliance government. A final recommendation to this effect has already been made by the sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
It is likely to generate advertising revenue of Rs 55 crore.
