Lok Sabha Question No. 252 (STARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Regulation of OTT Platforms
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Smt. Pratima Mondal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *252

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025

## REGULATION OF OTT PLATFORMS

## *252. SMT. PRATIMA MONDAL:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) the manner in which the Government plans to balance the regulation of OTT platforms with the need to safeguard creative freedom;
- (b) the details of frameworks put in place to handle grievances related to content;
- (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  transparency  and  accountability  in  the  allocation  of Government advertising budgets among various media outlets; and
- (d) the  details  of  policies  adopted  to  support  the  growth  and  global  competitiveness  of  India's Animation, Visual effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector including incentives for investment and skill development?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  RAILWAYS,  INFORMATION  &  BROADCASTING  AND  ELECTRONICS  & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO.  *252  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  06.08.2025  ON  REGULATION  OF  OTT PLATFORMS

## Creative freedom and OTT regulation:

Freedom of expression including creative freedom is protected under Article 19 of the Constitution.

To  address  the  negative  effects  of  harmful  content  on  OTT  platforms,  Government  has  notified  the Information  Technology  (Intermediary  Guidelines  and  Digital  Media,  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021  on 25.02.2021 under IT Act, 2000.

- Part-III of the rules provides for a Code of Ethics for digital news publishers and publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms).
- OTT platforms are under obligation not to transmit any content which is prohibited by law for the time being in force.

These rules further provide a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism as follows:

- Level I: Self-regulation by the publishers
- Level II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers

Level III - Oversight mechanism by the Central Government

Complaints received by the Ministry are forwarded to the concerned OTT platforms for resolution as per IT Rules, 2021.

Following  due  consultations  with  relevant  Ministries,  Government  has  blocked  43  OTT  platforms  for displaying obscene content.

## Government advertisements:

Central  Bureau  of  Communication  (CBC)  issues  advertisements  of  Government  of  India  across  various media platforms, including newspapers, TV/radio, outdoor, digital media, etc.

To  ensure  wide  coverage  of  intended  message,  detailed  policy  guidelines  have  been  issued  in  respect  of various media such as print, audio-visual, digital, outdoor publicity, etc. These guidelines are available on the CBC website cbcindia.gov.in.

## Promotion of AVGC-XR sector:

AVGC-XR includes Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality Sector.

Government of India recognises the AVGC-XR sector as a one of the core component of India's creative ecosystem.  A  National  AVGC-XR  Task  Force,  constituted  in  April  2022  has  laid  down  the  strategic roadmap for promotion of the sector.

Important initiatives of Government for AVGC sector are as follows:

## World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025

- Held  in  Mumbai  from  1st  to  4th  May  2025  to  position  India  as  a  global  hub  for  media  and entertainment.
- Create  in  India  Challenge:  A  nationwide  next-generation  creative  talent  hunt  across  34  creative categories  like  animation,  gaming,  AR/VR  and  music.  It  attracted  over  1  lakh  registrations  from creators from around the world.
- Featured initiatives such as WAVES Bazaar, WaveX accelerator connecting creators to investors & enabling wider access to markets and mentorship.
- Provided masterclasses and mentorships in storytelling, AI, XR, and digital content creation.

## Establishment of Indian Institute of Creative Technologies

IICT has been established as a premier institute for the creative technologies, focusing on industry-oriented curriculum and global best practices.

- Rs 392.85 Cr has been allocated for the development and operations of IICT.
- IICT is modelled on the lines of IITs and IIMs, for creative technologies.
- It  has  signed  MoUs  with  major  global  companies  including  Google,  Meta,  NVIDIA,  Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, WPP, etc. for academic collaboration
- IICT provides advanced training for professionals and trainers in AVGC-XR domains.
- The inaugural academic offering includes four specialized courses in Gaming, four courses in Post Production and nine courses in Animation, Comics and XR.
- Further details are available on the website https://theiict.in.

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