MAM
Vidya Balan brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna
NEW DELHI: Indian film actress Vidya Balan has been made the brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna or Samajwadi Pension Scheme by the Uttar Pradesh government aimed at empowering the State’s financially poor women.
“This (monthly) pension scheme is an important step towards women empowerment,” Balan said in Lucknow at a function organised by the State Government to announce this particular scheme and dwell on other pro-people government projects.
According to Balan, empowering women is relevant and important as womenfolk not only work for their own development, but also their whole family.
In the past also Balan had been roped in for various government initiatives at the both the Central and State levels, including those revolving around themes of importance of general cleanliness and having toilets in village homes.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, while expressing gratitude to Balan for agreeing to be associated with the scheme, said that as many more people know the film actress, the scheme is certain to get more exposure and become popular, especially in rural areas.
The Chief Minister added that he’s slowly learning the importance of effective PR activities and having celeb brand ambassadors for UP government’s initiatives, many of which, though benefitting the people, did not get the desired publicity in the media and elsewhere in the past.
Under the pension scheme the State government is proposing to directly transfer into the bank accounts of beneficiary-women of 55 lakh (550,0000) families a sum of Rs. 500 monthly.
MAM
Debkumar Dasgupta joins Dangal TV as Head of Syndication
Veteran broadcast executive to drive international and national content sales
MUMBAI: Debkumar Dasgupta, a seasoned broadcast media professional with over 30 years in the industry, has taken charge as head of syndication at Dangal TV, overseeing both international and national markets.
Dangal TV, owned by Enterr10 Television Network, is a popular 24-hour Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC). Launched in 2009 originally for Bhojpuri movies, it has since pivoted to Hindi entertainment, with a focus on family dramas, mythology, and crime shows catering to both urban and rural audiences.
Dasgupta brings a formidable track record in content acquisition, syndication sales, and P&L management across ME, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. His career spans top media organisations including IndiaCast Media, Viacom18, MTV Networks, Catvision Products and Tee-Men’s.
Most recently, he was with GoQuest Media as group partnership and strategy head, managing partnerships and monetisation strategies across the region. He also served as vice president – content acquisition and partnership for Asia and Africa, negotiating deals for Turkish dramas and other high-demand content.
Earlier stints include senior vice president and business head roles at IndiaCast Media Distribution, steering ME&A and global syndication sales, and boosting the reach of Viacom18 channels such as Colors, MTV India, Colors Rishtey and News18 India across Asia-Pacific, South Asia, ME, Africa, CIS, CEE and Latin America.
Dasgupta began his media journey as senior director – network development at MTV Networks India, managing channel carriage and affiliate revenues, before moving into content sales and international business with Viacom18. He started in cable TV sales with Catvision Limited, handling nationwide dealer and distributor networks.
Known as a creative change agent, Dasgupta has consistently driven revenue growth, market share expansion, and efficiency improvements, combining deep market insights with hands-on leadership.
With his global expertise and strong cross-functional experience across sales, legal, marketing, programming, logistics and finance, Dangal TV is set to strengthen its content syndication footprint and expand its international reach under his leadership.
Dasgupta’s appointment signals an aggressive push to leverage ethnic content opportunities and emerging markets, ensuring Dangal TV keeps pace in an increasingly competitive broadcast ecosystem.
