I&B Ministry
Govt invites entries for short film competition on ‘disability’
NEW DELHI: Entries have been invited by the government for a ‘Short Film Competition on Divyangjan Sashaktikaran-2017’ on issues relating to disability;
The competitive festival is being organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) (DEPwD) of the Social Justice & Empowerment Ministry in association with the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF).
The competition is being organised in order to create awareness on Accessible India Campaign and to promote various schemes of DEPwD among common masses. The Department invites entries from common citizens. The participants may submit their entries shot with any electronic devices in HD format only.
The last date of submission of application is 8 August 2017. The applications are invited in three categories viz ‘Short Documentaries’ of up to 30 minutes duration, ‘Short Films’ of upto 5 minutes duration and ‘TV Spots’ (Television Commercials) of up to 50 seconds.
The award function will be held tentatively on 21 September 2017 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi.
The ‘Short Documentaries’ and ‘TV Spots’ should be based on Accessible India Campaign theme while ‘Short Films’ could be made on various schemes of DEPwD such as Fellowship and Scholarship; Beneficiaries of Cochlear Implant, Distribution of Assistive Devices and Tri-cycle under Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase / Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP Scheme); loan beneficiaries of National Handicapped Finance And Development Corporation (NHFDC); beneficiaries of Accessible Buildings under Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA); beneficiaries of NGOs taking grant –in-aid under Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) and various skill development initiatives of the DEPwD for Persons with Disabilities.
The ‘Short Film Competition on Divyangjan Sashaktikaran-2017’ will carry First and Second Prize of Rs 5,00,000 and Rs 3,00,000 respectively in ‘Short Documentary’ and ‘TV Spots’ categories while ‘Short Film’ category will carry only one prize of Rs 4,00,000 for each scheme.
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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.
