Cabinet approves over Rs 2,500 cr scheme for upgrading infra of DD, AIR

By PTI

NEW DELHI: In a bid to improve Prasar Bharati’s broadcast infrastructure and community, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday permitted a scheme value greater than Rs 2,500 crore for Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur introduced the Central Sector ‘Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND)’ scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore as much as 2025-26, which was permitted by the CCEA.

“The BIND scheme is the vehicle for providing financial support to Prasar Bharati for expenses related to expansion and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure, content development and civil work related to the organization,” the I&B Ministry stated in an announcement.

“Prasar Bharati, as the public broadcaster of the country, is the most important vehicle of information, education, entertainment and engagement for the people, especially in the remote areas of the country through Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR).”

“Prasar Bharati played a stellar role in communicating health messages and awareness to the public during the Covid pandemic,” the assertion stated.

The BIND scheme will allow the general public broadcaster to undertake a significant upgradation of its amenities with higher infrastructure which is able to widen its attain, together with within the LWE (Left Wing Extremism), border and strategic areas and supply high-quality content material to the viewers.

Another precedence space of the scheme is the event of high-quality content material for each home and worldwide audiences and guaranteeing the provision of various content material to the viewers by upgradation of the capability of the DTH platform to accommodate extra channels, the ministry stated.

The buy of OB vans and digital upgradation of DD and AIR studios to make them HD-ready can even be executed as a part of the venture.

Thakur stated that the scheme envisions how Doordarshan ought to be 20 years from now.

“Prasar Bharti is the public broadcaster…it is not just about profit making. The aim is to ensure information regarding the government’s work and schemes reaches people. Different reports have pointed at the quality of content, whether it is Doordarshan or AIR,” stated Thakur, including each DD and AIR are additionally obtainable on cellphones.

“We are planning how DD should look 20 years from now,” he stated.

According to the I&B Ministry, at current, Doordarshan operates 36 TV channels, together with 28 regional channels, and AIR operates greater than 500 broadcasting centres.

The BIND scheme will enhance protection of AIR FM transmitters within the nation to 66 per cent by geographical space, up from the present 59 per cent, and 80 per cent by inhabitants, up from the current 68 per cent protection.

Under the scheme, eight lakh DD Free Dish DTH set-top packing containers (STBs) can even be distributed to folks dwelling in distant, tribal, LWE, border areas and ‘aspirational’ districts.

In addition to enhancing the scope of public broadcasting, the venture for modernization and augmentation of broadcast infrastructure additionally has the potential to generate oblique employment by the use of manufacturing and companies associated to the provision and set up of broadcast tools.

According to the assertion, content material technology and innovation for AIR and DD has the potential of oblique employment of individuals with various expertise in several media fields within the content material manufacturing sector, together with TV/Radio manufacturing, transmission and related media-related companies.

The venture for enlargement of the attain of DD Free Dish can also be anticipated to generate employment alternatives within the manufacturing of STBs.

“The government reiterates its commitment to the development, modernization and strengthening of Doordarshan and Akashvani (Prasar Bharati) infrastructure and services, which is a continuous process,” the ministry added.

NEW DELHI: In a bid to improve Prasar Bharati’s broadcast infrastructure and community, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday permitted a scheme value greater than Rs 2,500 crore for Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur introduced the Central Sector ‘Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND)’ scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore as much as 2025-26, which was permitted by the CCEA.

“The BIND scheme is the vehicle for providing financial support to Prasar Bharati for expenses related to expansion and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure, content development and civil work related to the organization,” the I&B Ministry stated in an announcement.

“Prasar Bharati, as the public broadcaster of the country, is the most important vehicle of information, education, entertainment and engagement for the people, especially in the remote areas of the country through Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR).”

“Prasar Bharati played a stellar role in communicating health messages and awareness to the public during the Covid pandemic,” the assertion stated.

The BIND scheme will allow the general public broadcaster to undertake a significant upgradation of its amenities with higher infrastructure which is able to widen its attain, together with within the LWE (Left Wing Extremism), border and strategic areas and supply high-quality content material to the viewers.

Another precedence space of the scheme is the event of high-quality content material for each home and worldwide audiences and guaranteeing the provision of various content material to the viewers by upgradation of the capability of the DTH platform to accommodate extra channels, the ministry stated.

The buy of OB vans and digital upgradation of DD and AIR studios to make them HD-ready can even be executed as a part of the venture.

Thakur stated that the scheme envisions how Doordarshan ought to be 20 years from now.

“Prasar Bharti is the public broadcaster…it is not just about profit making. The aim is to ensure information regarding the government’s work and schemes reaches people. Different reports have pointed at the quality of content, whether it is Doordarshan or AIR,” stated Thakur, including each DD and AIR are additionally obtainable on cellphones.

“We are planning how DD should look 20 years from now,” he stated.

According to the I&B Ministry, at current, Doordarshan operates 36 TV channels, together with 28 regional channels, and AIR operates greater than 500 broadcasting centres.

The BIND scheme will enhance protection of AIR FM transmitters within the nation to 66 per cent by geographical space, up from the present 59 per cent, and 80 per cent by inhabitants, up from the current 68 per cent protection.

Under the scheme, eight lakh DD Free Dish DTH set-top packing containers (STBs) can even be distributed to folks dwelling in distant, tribal, LWE, border areas and ‘aspirational’ districts.

In addition to enhancing the scope of public broadcasting, the venture for modernization and augmentation of broadcast infrastructure additionally has the potential to generate oblique employment by the use of manufacturing and companies associated to the provision and set up of broadcast tools.

According to the assertion, content material technology and innovation for AIR and DD has the potential of oblique employment of individuals with various expertise in several media fields within the content material manufacturing sector, together with TV/Radio manufacturing, transmission and related media-related companies.

The venture for enlargement of the attain of DD Free Dish can also be anticipated to generate employment alternatives within the manufacturing of STBs.

“The government reiterates its commitment to the development, modernization and strengthening of Doordarshan and Akashvani (Prasar Bharati) infrastructure and services, which is a continuous process,” the ministry added.