MeitY Holds Meeting with E-Sport Athletes on Draft Online Gaming Rules

On January 17, 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) conducted the second public consultation on the amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The draft Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules extend the scope of the IT Rules, 2021 to include online gaming intermediaries (Click here to read more about the Draft Rules).

Express support has been received from the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) towards the Draft Rules. The meeting was convened by Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Minister of State, MeitY, and was attended by key stakeholders, including e-sport athletes, parents, teachers, and safety and trust organisations. Several famous e-Sport athletes, including Tirth Mehta (Bronze Medalist, Asian Games 2018) and Karman Singh Tikka (Team India-Asian Games 2022) were present at the meeting along with the e-Sports Federation of India (ESFI). The stakeholders expressed their views regarding uncertainty in implementing KYC norms, ambiguity in the definition of online games, etc.