Ex-Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to be the new CBFC chairperson

The Indian Express, last week, reported that a new CBFC chairperson is set to be appointed soon, following the appointment of Prasoon Joshi as the Prasar Bharati CEO.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Wednesday appointed former Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). His tenure as CBFC Chairperson will be for a period of three years from his date of joining the film certification body.

The Indian Express, last week, reported that a new CBFC chairperson is set to be appointed soon, following the appointment of Prasoon Joshi as the Prasar Bharati CEO. The positions of CBFC Chairperson and Prasar Bharati CEO is not usually held simultaneously by the same person.

In a statement, the Ministry said that consequent upon the elevation of Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati, he has stepped down from the position of CBFC Chairperson, following which Vempati has been appointed to the position.

The statement added that Vempati brings with him extensive experience in media, broadcasting, and public communication and his appointment is expected to further strengthen the functioning of the CBFC.

Vempati is an IIT-Bombay graduate and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in January this year for his contributions to public broadcasting, media reforms, and digital technology. He was the first technocrat to have headed the Prasar Bharati for a tenure of five years from June 2017. He has also been a member (part time) of the Prasar Bharati board before that. He had also served as the CEO of the Rajya Sabha TV.

Before that, he was long associated with Infosys Technologies and had led a digital news media startup called Niti Central. He had also been part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign team ahead of the 2014 general elections.

He had been associated with the Broadcast Audience Research Council from 2024 to April this year and had headed a four-member panel constituted by the MIB to suggest reforms in the functioning of television rating agencies during a Television Rating Point manipulation controversy in 2020.

He is a co-founder of DeepTech for Bharat Foundation, which operates the AI4India initiative.

Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defence and national security as part of the national bureau of The Indian Express. In the past, Amrita has extensively reported on the media industry and broadcasting matters, urban affairs, bureaucracy and government policies. In the last 14 years of her career, she has worked in newspapers as well as in the online media space and is well versed with the functioning of both newsrooms. Amrita has worked in the northeast, Mumbai and Delhi. She has travelled extensively across the country, including in far-flung border areas, to bring detailed reports from the ground and has written investigative reports on media and defence. She has been working for The Indian Express since January 2023. ... Read More

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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Wednesday appointed former Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). His tenure as CBFC Chairperson will be for a period of three years from his date of joining the film certification body.

The Indian Express, last week, reported that a new CBFC chairperson is set to be appointed soon, following the appointment of Prasoon Joshi as the Prasar Bharati CEO. The positions of CBFC Chairperson and Prasar Bharati CEO is not usually held simultaneously by the same person.

In a statement, the Ministry said that consequent upon the elevation of Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati, he has stepped down from the position of CBFC Chairperson, following which Vempati has been appointed to the position.

The statement added that Vempati brings with him extensive experience in media, broadcasting, and public communication and his appointment is expected to further strengthen the functioning of the CBFC.

Vempati is an IIT-Bombay graduate and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in January this year for his contributions to public broadcasting, media reforms, and digital technology. He was the first technocrat to have headed the Prasar Bharati for a tenure of five years from June 2017. He has also been a member (part time) of the Prasar Bharati board before that. He had also served as the CEO of the Rajya Sabha TV.

Before that, he was long associated with Infosys Technologies and had led a digital news media startup called Niti Central. He had also been part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign team ahead of the 2014 general elections.

He had been associated with the Broadcast Audience Research Council from 2024 to April this year and had headed a four-member panel constituted by the MIB to suggest reforms in the functioning of television rating agencies during a Television Rating Point manipulation controversy in 2020.

He is a co-founder of DeepTech for Bharat Foundation, which operates the AI4India initiative.