I&B Ministry
Around Rs 35 crore spent by Prasar Bharati in left extremist affected areas
NEW DELHI: Both All India Radio and Doordarshan have spent around Rs 35 crore in setting up transmitters and programming in left wing extremist (LWE) areas.
Programmes are aired on the theme of dissuading the youth from getting involved in anti-social activities and persuading those, who have misguidedly taken to arms, to come back and join the mainstream, Parliament was told recently.
These are telecasting Developmental programmes on Education, Youth Welfare, Women Empowerment, welfare schemes for the area, Forest Act and Rights of Tribals including coverage of local festivals and tribal folk music in their local languages and dialects.
The thrust is largely on the developmental schemes/activities of the Government of India and the State Governments. These programmes also dwell on the need of maintaining law and order in the concerned areas so that people’s progress could be achieved faster.
As far as AIR is concerned, six new FM High Power Transmitters have been planned in LWE affected areas at a total cost of Rs.28.06 Crores at Kakinada East Godavari/Andhra Pradesh; Muzaffarpur in Bihar; Amibikapur Sarguja in Chhattisgarh; Dhanbad in Jharkhand; Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi (Odisha), and Suryapet in Nalgonda (Telangana).
In addition to this, existing old/outlived transmitters at AIR stations functional in LWE affected areas are also planned for replacement by High Power Transmitters.
As far as Doordarshan is concerned, a part of digitalization scheme approved under the 12th Plan Projects of setting up digital HPTs at a cost of Rs. 6.62 crore each have been implemented at Muzaffarpur (Bihar); Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh); and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand).
It was also emphasized by the sources that all the areas uncovered by terrestrial transmitters are covered with multichannel TV coverage through Doordarshan’s free to air DTH service Freedish.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
