 ANI was established in 1971 (preceded by TVNF, which was India's first television news feature agency) and leveraged a host of tactics from the employing of numerous ex-bureaucrats (along with their kith and kin) at prime positions to cordialising his familial connections with I. K. Gujral, (the then minister of Information and Broadcasting) in a quest to gain influence within the Government.TVNF was explicitly asked by Indira Gandhi to showcase a positive image of India, and monopolized the sector, producing numerous science-oriented films for Doordarshan, the state broadcaster.Smita Prakash, an alumna of Indian Institute of Mass Communication joined ANI in around 1986 as an intern and was later inducted as a full-time employee.