Budget: Information and Broadcasting Ministry allocation increases by over Rs 310 cr

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced a Rs 4,375.21 crore outlay for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the 2020-2021 fiscal, an increase of over Rs 310 crore from last year.

The allocation to Prasar Bharati remained at Rs 2889.36 crore, same as the revised estimate of 2019-20.

In the budget, the allocation for broadcasting under the social services head has gone up from Rs 3067.26 crore to Rs 3218.56 crore. A total of Rs 967.29 crore has been allocated for information and publicity.

While the allocation for the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, has risen to Rs. 49.4 crore from 30.87 crore in 2019-20, Rs 61.30 crore has been earmarked for the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, up from Rs 25.69 crore in the current fiscal.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar hailed the budget as "most pragmatic" at a time when the world economy is facing headwinds.

India has not only managed a "good growth rate" but is also marching towards a better rate, he said, adding that the budget will usher in all-round development.