Business
Our commitment for press freedom, and autonomy of public broadcast is absolute: Prakash Javadekar
He spoke to ET on the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s approach towards media, social media, media controls and much more. Edited excerpts…
In terms of communication and messaging, the BJP’s electoral campaign has been termed an object lesson in the field. How can you translate that into the governmental structure?
All communication needs of the government will be handled in our ministry through a social media hub. I am offering this service to all ministers. Their facebook, twitter and other social media outreach will be handled by the new media wing, and the social media and communication hub.
The advantage that the party saw in reaching out through all communication media has been tremendous, and it was felt that the government too use the available platforms. Therefore, this new hub will provide all the help needed by various ministers and ministries for setting up and operating their facebook pages, twitter handles and the outreach throughsocial media. Traditional media is important, of course, but social media vehicles have to be spruced up.
What are your priority areas as far as this (I&B) ministry is concerned?
We have to ensure transparency, make our vehicles more effective. We want to be accessible and accountable too. Now there is a stage three and stage four of digitisation, we will take a call on this only after taking all things into account. The issue is that digitisation increases the revenue of paid channels, but customers want fewer advertisements.
Now 11 crore new settop boxes are required, which provides a great case for indigenisation, rather than just import them. I will take it up with the finance and commerce ministers on how this could be done.
During the elections, an interview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi set off questions on the autonomy of the public broadcaster. As I&B minister, how will you deal with it?
Right off the bat, I would like to say that our commitment for press freedom, and the autonomy of public broadcast is absolute. But freedom or autonomy has its own responsibilities.
Media has the responsibility of being neutral and objective. There’s always a concern that when the government is spending so much, it must reach the public. The public broadcaster is a tool for public awareness. Having said all of this, let me categorically state that we have no plans to enforce controls on the media.
Modi has been described as a “post TV” Prime Minister, in that he reaches out to his audience or voter directly. How would you recast the role of the traditional media?
This is a lesson for everyone on how to put your point across, in the way the Prime Minister does. Minister for law and communications Ravi Shankar Prasad and I have been deputed as spokespersons for the government and we will shortly come up with a communications plan to suit everyone’s needs. This government is different from the way it approaches issues and problems.
For instance, Modiji’s design for the Cabinet. Yesterday, there were some issues related to environment and power. Piyush Goel holds the power, coal and renewable energy portfolio, I hold the environment portfolio, and between the two of us and 10 officials we sorted things which the previous government had tied up in knots in a Group of Ministers (GoM) set up. The emphasis is on synergy. For the media too, there will be things to learn from the new government and its functioning.
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SpaceX Crew-12 mission lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
SpaceX and NASA launched a new crew Friday to the International Space Station, nearly one month after prior crew members were evacuated following a medical emergency in orbit.
NASA said the SpaceX Crew-12 mission lifted off at 5:15 a.m. from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
“The spacecraft will take about 34 hours to autonomously dock with the space station’s Harmony module at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, while traveling 17,000 mph in Earth orbit,” the agency said.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
NASA MAKES ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ CALL TO BRING ASTRONAUTS HOME AFTER ILLNESS, EXPERT SAYS
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lifts off on NASA’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, from Lau (Steve Nesius/Reuters / Reuters)
“What an absolutely wonderful start to the day,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said following the launch. “This mission has shown in many ways what it means to be mission-focused at NASA.”
“In the last couple of weeks, we brought Crew-11 home early, we pulled forward Crew-12 to the launch date today, all while simultaneously making preparations for the Artemis 2 mission, which its next window will open up in early March,” he added.
“The flight is the 12th crew rotation with SpaceX to the orbiting laboratory as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Crew-12 will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as benefit people on Earth,” according to NASA.
US PLANS TO BUILD NUCLEAR REACTOR ON THE MOON BY 2030, NASA SAYS
NASA’s Crew-12 members, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot walk out of the Operations & Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center before transport to Launch Comple (Steve Nesius/Reuters / Reuters)
In January, NASA made an “unprecedented” decision to bring a crew home early from the International Space Station after a medical emergency in orbit, marking the first time in the station’s 25-year history that a mission has been cut short for health reasons.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said at the time that a single crew member experienced a medical situation aboard the station on Jan. 7 and is now stable. After consultations with medical and agency leadership, he ordered the early return of the crew.
“For over 60 years, NASA has set the standard for safety and security in crewed space flight,” Isaacman said. “The health and the well-being of our astronauts is always and will be our highest priority.”
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stand at Launch Complex 40 ahead of the launch of NASA’s Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. (Steve Nesius/Reuters / Reuters)
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That crew returned to earth on Jan. 15.
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
In IPO parlance, Sebi’s ‘observation’ refers to the formal comments or clearance issued by the regulator on a company’s draft IPO documents.
Premier Industrial Corporation IPO
Premier Industrial Corporation’s IPO will be a mix of fresh issue and an offer for sale (OFS). The company received Sebi’s observation letter on February 10.
Under the issue, 2.79 crore equity shares will be offloaded by the company. In this, the fresh issue will be up to 2.25 crore while the OFS will be up to 54 lakh equity shares.
The selling shareholders are Arvind Chhotalal Morzaria, Dilip Chhotalal Morzaria, Subhash Chhotalal Morzaria, Lalit Navinchandra Morzaria and Nirmala Navinchandra Morzaria.
The company plans to utilise its net proceeds towards financing the capital expenditure requirements for setting up a new wire manufacturing facility in Raigad, Maharashtra, and for financing the capital expenditure required for the expansion of the existing manufacturing facility at the Wada Unit in Palghar, Maharashtra. A part of the proceeds will be be utilised for funding the working capital requirements of the company and for general corporate purposes.
Unistone Capital Private Limited is the sole Book Running Lead Manager (BRLM) to the issue.
Duroflex IPO
Duroflex IPO will be a mix of fresh issue and an offer for sale (OFS). The company received Sebi’s observation letter on February 12. The IPO consists of a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 184 and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 2.25 crore equity shares by promoters and existing investors.
Duroflex Limited is a leading sleep and comfort solutions provider and is among the top three mattress companies in India by market share. It operates across mattresses, foam, furniture, pillows, accessories, and other bedding products under brands such as Duroflex, Sleepyhead, and Perfect Rest. As of June 30, 2025, Duroflex has established a broad network with 73 Company Owned Company Operated (COCO) stores, over 5,576 general trade stores, and a strong digital presence, serving a pan-India customer base.
Virupaksha Organics IPO
Virupaksha Organics IPO will entirely be a fresh issue worth Rs 740 crore according to the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) filed by the company. The research-driven Indian pharmaceutical company received Sebi’s nod on Thursday, February 12.
The company is promoted by Chandra Mouliswar Reddy Gangavaram, Balasubba Reddy, Mamilla, Chandrasekhar Reddy Gangavaram, Vedavathi Gangavaram, Kondapalli Sandeep Reddy, Kotla SUuraj Redy, Mamilla Nagarjun Reddy, Gangavaram Sri Lakshmi and G Sri Vidya.
The BRLMs are Axis Capital Limited and SBI Capital Markets Limited while the registrar to the issue is Kfin Technologies Limited.
Hexagon Nutrition IPO
The public issue of Hexagon Nutrition will entirely be an OFS. The company received Sebi’s clearance on February 10. Under the OFS, promoters Arun Purushottam Kelkar, Subhash Purushottam Kelkar, Nutan Subhash Kelkar and Aditya Kelkar will together offload up to 30,859,704 equity shares.
The research-driven nutrition company is engaged in developing and manufacturing products across micronutrient premixes, branded wellness and clinical nutrition, therapeutic formulations, and ready-to-use foods.
The lead managers to the issue are Cumulative Capital Private Limited and Catalyst Capital Partners Private Limited while the registrar is Kfin Technologies.
Om Power Transmission IPO
The IPO will be a mix of fresh issue and an OFS. The company received the observation on today. Incorporated in 2011, Om Power Transmission is a power transmission infrastructure engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company with over 14 years of experience. The company’s expertise lies in the execution of high-voltage (HV) and extra-high voltage (EHV) transmission lines, substations and underground cabling projects delivered on a turnkey basis.
(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)
Financial analyst by day and a seasoned investor by passion, I’ve been involved in the world of investing for over 15 years and honed my skills in analyzing lucrative opportunities within the market.I specialize in uncovering high quality dividend stocks and other assets that offer potential for long term-growth that pack a serious punch for bill-paying potential. I use myself as an example that with a solid base of classic dividend growth stocks, sprinkling in some Business Development Companies, REITs, and Closed End Funds can be a highly efficient way to boost your investment income while still capturing a total return that follows traditional index funds. I created a hybrid system between growth and income and manage to still capture a total return that is on par with the S&P.
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Form 13G American Drive Acquisition Co For: 13 February
Form 13F SIR Capital Management For: 13 February
Prices rose by 2.4% in the year to January, the latest official figures show, the slowest pace since May.
The firm plans to move eight healthcare-focused investments into a so-called continuation vehicle, the people said, asking not to be identified because the conversations are private. It’s seeking to raise $500 million for the new India fund strategy and has approached investors on the plan, the people added.
The assets include Omega Hospitals and RG Scientific Enterprises Pvt., one of the people said. Morgan Stanley Investment Management invested in Omega in 2024 with a minority ownership and bought a controlling stake in RG Scientific that same year.
A media representative for Morgan Stanley declined to comment.
Morgan Stanley Investment Management, a $1.9 trillion manager, invested in the assets through its alternative arm, Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia.
The continuation fundraising comes as more investment firms look for exit routes beyond initial public offerings and mergers. Globally, the secondary market rose 48% to $240 billion in 2025 from a year earlier, according to a report by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.
SYDNEY—ANZ Group shares are on course for their best day since 2020 after the country’s fourth-largest lender cut its first-quarter costs by more than analysts had expected.
ANZ on Thursday reported an unaudited cash profit for the three months through December of 1.94 billion Australian dollars, equivalent to US$1.37 billion. That was 6% higher compared with the same period a year earlier.
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