Parliament committee to discuss 'demands for grants' for MIB on February 13

The parliamentary committee on 'Communications and Information Technology', chaired by Nishikant Dubey, is scheduled to meet on February 13 to take oral evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and Ministry of Communications (Department of Posts) on Demands for Grants (2024-25).

The committee will also take oral evidence of the representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on February 14, on Demands for Grants (2024-25).

The standing committee on Communications and Information Technology, one of the 24 departmentally related committees in existence, is constituted under Rule 331C of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting come under its jurisdiction.

The "demands for grant" related to the MIB refer to the budget allocation requested by the MIB, which includes plans to regulate online advertisements, influencer marketing, and content on digital platforms.

The budget estimate for 2024-25 stood at Rs 4342.55 (for MIB) crore versus Rs 4692 crore in 2023-24 (-349.45), as per the last parliamentary report.