MUMBAI: The media industry has been in doldrums in India due to a massive drop in ad volumes. While the industry already experienced a slowdown in FY19, the countrywide lockdown has worsened the crisis. Post COVID-19 period, many of the media houses are sacking employees, cutting salaries, shutting down divisions and furloughing workforce, making a huge number of journalists and employees vulnerable. In this dire situation, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has asked other ministries to clear dues to the private media sector and the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) in order to sustain the cashflow.

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As MIB is in urgency to have their funds released, it has, in a letter to the ministry of communications, ministry of electronics and IT, and department of posts, requested to make the payments to BOC at earliest. The payments are due for various communication and advertisement works undertaken in previous years. MIB has mentioned that it would enable BOC to release it for respective media houses.

The letter has also mentioned that if all payments due to the private media sector are made to them, it could prevent layoffs and pay cuts keeping the businesses afloat. It also noted that these media houses are supporting the government’s efforts to communicate with its citizens during the COVID-19 crisis.

So how much money do various ministries owe to the media sector?

According to a document sourced by Indiantelevision.com, total pending outstanding due to the media sector by several ministries stands at total Rs 230.82 crore, which include  a due of Rs 68.77 crore to the television segment and Rs 99.14 to the print media.

Ministry of agriculture owes RS 6.14 crore 

Ministry of communications and IT owes Rs 16.05 crore

Ministry of corporate affairs owers Rs 1.62 crore

Ministry of finance owes Rs 30.86 crore

Ministry of environment and forest owes Rs 2.33 crore 

Ministry of health and family welfare owes Rs 55.81 core

Ministry of home affairs owes Rs 6.44 core

Ministry of human resources and development owers Rs 18.99 crore

Ministry of labour and employment owes Rs 19.96 crore

Niti Aayog owes Rs 13.05 crore

Ministry of rural development owes Rs 24.47 crore

Ministry of shipping, road transport and highways owes Rs 14.38 crore

Ministry of social justice and empowerment owes Rs 1.84 crore

Ministry of textile owes Rs 5.14 crore

Ministry of tourism owes Rs 4.83 crore,

Ministry of women and child development owes Rs 8.91 crore

MIB has also stated how the newspaper industry and FM Radio sector are under stress due to heavy input costs, import duty on newsprint and low advertisement and stoppage of transport respectively.