BECIL to lead draft PLI initiative for broadcasting; IBDF, NBDA, AROI seek more time for feedback
Additionally, stakeholders were asked to evaluate the government’s proposed list of items for indigenous manufacture and comment on both production feasibility and customer readiness to adopt locally made products.
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Wednesday convened a consultation meeting with industry stakeholders to deliberate on the draft Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the broadcasting sector, with Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) emerging as the nodal body to spearhead the initiative.
The meeting, held at Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi, focused on reducing dependence on imported equipment and fostering domestic manufacturing capabilities. Senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) joined the deliberations, reflecting the government’s cross-sectoral approach to the initiative.
On the industry side, representatives from major associations including the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA), Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) participated in the discussions.
The Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) has been designated as the nodal body to drive the initiative. Addressing the gathering, Cmde D.K. Murali (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director of BECIL, underlined the importance of scaling up local production. “The stakeholders should submit their feedbacks to us so that the sector benefits by purchasing equipment from Indian manufacturers rather than importing it. The government support will be provided to strengthen this initiative,” Murali said.
Industry voices emphasized the potential of incentives to unlock global competitiveness. Stakeholders suggested that there should be a lot of incentives given to the Indian manufacturers, typically when, for international markets. Stakeholders also pointed out that this will allow them to get two advantages. One is that they get an advantage internationally, and second is that they would be able to develop their products at par with international standards.
Stakeholders highighted that Indian firms already possess the technology and capability to compete with global players, and support through PLI could accelerate their reach.
Associations including NBDA, IBDF, and AROI have sought 30 days from the ministry to provide detailed feedback on the draft proposal.
Stakeholders also suggested that the broadcasters from abroad operating in India should also consider using equipments manufactured in the country.
The ministry tabled a comprehensive agenda for stakeholders, which included:
Providing a list of high-value and high-volume equipment currently imported into the media and entertainment sector, along with year-wise data.
Sharing detailed information on Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) codes, total import values, and quantities of these products.
Suggesting equipment categories suitable for indigenous manufacturing in both the short and long term, based on their strategic importance and potential foreign exchange savings.
Additionally, stakeholders were asked to evaluate the government’s proposed list of items for indigenous manufacture and comment on both production feasibility and customer readiness to adopt locally made products.
The discussions also extended to identifying structural challenges in domestic manufacturing, sourcing constraints, and the specific support required from the government to enable large-scale production. Importantly, the meeting addressed the need to set Year-on-Year turnover targets that manufacturers would need to achieve in order to qualify for PLI-linked benefits.
The consultations mark the first step in framing a structured incentive mechanism for the broadcasting industry, aligning it with broader government efforts to strengthen the Make in India initiative and reduce reliance on imports across critical sectors.
