I&B Ministry
Broadcasting to get Rs 475.5 crore in Annual Plan 2016-17 of MIB
NEW DELHI: There is a provision of Rs 390 crore as grant-in-aid for Prasar Bharati for the year 2016-17 which includes Rs 50 crore for the north east region.
In addition, there is a grant-in-aid of Rs 60 crore including Rs 8 crore for the north east region, according to the annual plan of the Information and Broadcastng Ministry for 2016-17.
In addition, Doordarshan will get Rs 125 crore and All India Radio will receive Rs 75 crore for development of new content.
A sum of Rs 12 crore has been set aside for strengthening the Electronic Media Monitoring Cell which will soon increase its capacity to monitor all TV channels in the country.
A budget of Rs 4 crore has been set aside for supporting community radio stations which includes Rs 20 lakh for the north east region.
Infrastructure Support Cell in the ministry renamed as Digitisation Mission has a budget of Rs 5 crore in the annual plan, while Rs 4.5 crore has been set aside for automation of the broadcasting sector.
Thus the total budget in the annual plan for the broadcasting sector is Rs 475.50 crore including Rs 58.2 criore for the north east.
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.
