The minister, who was speaking during the Digital News Publishers Association of India (DNPA) Conclave and Awards 2024, said addressing these imbalances remains a priority for the government.

Stating that India’s transformation in the digital and tech space has been “spectacular,” Chandrasekhar said the country is no longer seen as a place to set up cost-effective back offices but as a valuable partner for shaping the future.

“We are concerned about the deep asymmetry between those who create content and those who help them to monetise it. From a policymaking point of view, we want the internet to be open, and we certainly do not want monetisation on the internet to be in the purview of or to be controlled by just one, two, or three companies,” the minister said, adding that the pre-consultation draft of the Digital India Act lays the foundation for solving these “visible asymmetries” between the digital news publishers in the country and the big platforms.

“These big tech platforms are gatekeepers to monetising the content, and that asymmetry needs to be legislated, or at least regulated, through the rules of new legislation. And I’m hopeful that after PM Narendra Modi ji resumes office (in the third term), this will be one of his priorities,” he added.

Chandrasekhar stressed ensuring fair revenue sharing by the big tech companies with content creators in terms of monetisation.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, who was also present at the event, said the government is looking to bring in policies to address digital advertising issues and ensure no revenue loss happens. The I&B minister also raised concerns about fake news, paid news, and clickbait news, adding that the same are adversely impacting the credibility of the news media.