New Delhi: In a major boost to the public service broadcasting, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved a scheme with an outlay of Rs2,539.61 crore till 2025-26. It will develop the infrastructure of the Prasar Bharti running All India Radio and Doordarshan.
It envisages FM Coverage of the AIR to increase to cover more than 80% of the country’s population, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told the media after a cabinet meeting.
He said eight lakh DD Free Dish DTH Set Top Boxes (DTBs) would be distributed to people living in remote, tribal, Left Wing Extremism (LWE), border areas and aspirational districts.
At present, Doordarshan operates 36 TV channels, including 28 regional channels and the AIR operates more than 500 broadcasting centres.
The scheme will increase the coverage of AIR FM transmitters in the country to 66% by geographical area and 80% by population up from 59% and 68% respectively.
“The Central Sector 'Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (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 organisation,” the I&B Ministry said in a statement.
“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),” the statement said.
The BIND scheme will enable the public broadcaster to undertake a major upgradation of its facilities with better infrastructure which will widen its reach, including in the LWE (Left Wing Extremism), border and strategic areas and provide high quality content to the viewers.
