India’s media industry, historically a cornerstone of public discourse and democracy, is grappling with a profound economic crisis. The combination of declining advertisement revenues, digital disruption, rising operational costs, and financial mismanagement has led several prominent media organizations and news agencies into insolvency, restructuring, or severe financial distress.

Insolvency and Financial Distress Cases:

Sadhna Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Admitted into insolvency by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in July 2022, Sadhna Communications underwent a resolution process that culminated in October 2023, reflecting the precarious financial standing even among established broadcasters.

Sadhna Broadcast Ltd.
Known for regional news channels, faced significant regulatory scrutiny and financial turbulence. In February 2025, SEBI issued a settlement order regarding alleged stock manipulation through misleading digital content, underscoring financial and ethical vulnerabilities.

Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd.
Once a prominent entity behind channels like SAB TV, this network entered insolvency proceedings in 2022 due to mounting debt and dwindling revenues, marking a notable decline for a once-influential media group.

Struggling Media Companies and Agencies:

Hindustan Samachar Group
This major regional media player, publishing prominent dailies such as Jagbani and Punjabi Tribune, has been struggling with operational losses, wage delays, and temporary suspensions of certain editions due to rising print costs and falling revenues.

CNN-News18
Under Network18, CNN-News18 has seen bureau closures and substantial job cuts. While not insolvent, the channel faces ongoing financial pressures, forcing it to significantly restructure operations to maintain viability.

Zee Media Corporation Ltd.
Zee Media, which operates multiple regional and national channels, faced financial stress and restructuring. Despite its scale, declining ad revenues and high operational costs have led to job cuts and downsizing across its newsrooms.

National News Agencies Under Pressure:

Press Trust of India (PTI)
India’s largest news agency, PTI, has faced severe financial stress amid shrinking subscriptions from newspapers and broadcasters. Delays in wage payments and hiring freezes highlight its financial vulnerability.

United News of India (UNI)
UNI, another major news agency, has faced severe financial difficulties, leading to unpaid salaries, reductions in workforce, and operational cutbacks. Its financial struggles underscore the broader challenges faced by news syndicators in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Broader Industry Challenges:

• Advertising Revenue Collapse: Digital giants like Google and Meta dominate digital ad spending, leaving traditional media with drastically reduced revenues.
• Operational and Input Costs: Rising newsprint prices, high satellite fees, and infrastructure maintenance have squeezed profit margins severely.
• Changing Audience Habits: Audiences, particularly younger demographics, increasingly consume news through social media, YouTube, and independent digital creators, further undermining traditional media models.
• Political and Economic Pressures: Media houses increasingly rely on political patronage or corporate backing, raising concerns about editorial independence and financial sustainability.

Path Forward:

To survive this crisis, media entities need urgent restructuring, embracing diversified revenue streams, digital-first strategies, and editorial integrity to rebuild audience trust and financial health. The industry’s future may rely on agile, sustainable models emphasizing credibility, innovation, and audience engagement.

In what sounds like a scene from Jurassic Park, biotech labs around the world are racing to bring extinct animals back to life — not in theory, but in practice. At the center of this movement is the concept of de-extinction, where genetic engineering is used to recreate species that disappeared from the planet centuries or even millennia ago.

Recently, researchers successfully created genetically modified wolf pups with DNA remarkably close to that of the long-extinct dire wolf — a prehistoric predator last seen over 10,000 years ago. This scientific feat is part of a much larger ambition to revive species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo, with hopes of reintroducing them into the wild.

But beyond the thrill of discovery lies a tough question: Can we afford to bring back the past?

The economics of de-extinction are complex. Creating and raising a genetically engineered animal isn’t cheap — the research, cloning, surrogacy, habitat preparation, and post-birth care can cost millions. While venture capital is flowing into biotech firms promising to resurrect the ancient, critics question whether this funding could be better spent protecting endangered species that are still alive — and in desperate need of conservation.

There are ethical dilemmas, too. The animals involved in surrogacy, the potential suffering of engineered species, and the risk of ecological imbalance all present moral gray areas. And what happens when an extinct species is reintroduced into an ecosystem that no longer resembles the one it once knew?

Then comes the business model. If de-extinction becomes a commercial service — part conservation, part spectacle — will it be driven by scientific integrity or by market demand? Will we have de-extinct animals housed in wildlife parks and exhibitions rather than roaming the wild?

Supporters argue that de-extinction could help restore lost biodiversity and even combat climate change, by rebalancing disrupted ecosystems. Critics warn it’s an expensive distraction from saving the living world.

In the end, de-extinction may be less about resurrection and more about reflection — a mirror held up to our choices as stewards of this planet. The science is catching up to imagination. Whether society is ready — financially, ethically, and environmentally — is still an open question.

In a major policy push toward clean mobility, the Government of India has announced a new ₹5,000 crore incentive scheme to accelerate the adoption and production of electric vehicles (EVs). The announcement comes under the updated FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) policy and is expected to run until 2027.

The new framework is designed to provide direct incentives to automobile manufacturers, support the battery-swapping ecosystem, and enhance EV infrastructure in both urban and rural markets.

According to the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the revamped FAME scheme has three key focus areas:

1. EV Manufacturing Support – Subsidies and incentives for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to scale up local EV production.
2. Battery and Component Localization – Boosting domestic manufacturing of EV components, lithium-ion batteries, and battery packs.
3. Charging and Swapping Infrastructure – Grants for developing widespread charging stations and battery-swapping facilities.

The policy is expected to benefit two-wheeler and three-wheeler EV manufacturers like Ola Electric, Ather Energy, and Bajaj, as well as four-wheeler giants like Tata Motors and Mahindra Electric.

This move is part of India’s broader strategy to reach 30% EV penetration by 2030 and cut its oil import bill while reducing carbon emissions. Industry experts believe the new incentives will bring fresh momentum to the EV ecosystem, particularly after the expiry of earlier subsidies and confusion around policy continuity.

“We welcome this step—it gives clarity and confidence to both manufacturers and consumers,” said a spokesperson from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV).

Additionally, state governments are expected to align their EV policies with the center’s revised roadmap, creating a pan-India framework for EV deployment. This comes at a time when global EV brands like Tesla and VinFast are preparing for their India entry, and local startups are gaining ground in battery innovation and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) models.

With this ₹5,000 crore push, India is aiming to not only boost sales of electric vehicles but also create lakhs of green jobs, establish a resilient supply chain, and become a manufacturing hub for clean mobility solutions.