I&B Ministry
Julka asks M&E Industry to contribute to ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’
NEW DELHI: The Government has asked the media and entertainment industry to contribute towards creating awareness and showing effective action in the ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Bimal Julka said that the Media and Entertainment industry could help in reaching out to people with the right content and effective messaging which would ensure community participation in the ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’.
He added “the M&E Industry has an important role to play in order to make Swacch Bharat a mass movement. It is essential for all stakeholders to be partners in the drive towards this initiative.”
Julka held a meeting with the stakeholders of the M&E Industry on the Mission here. The stakeholders of the Industry included representatives of News Broadcasters Association (NBA), Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), representatives of FM radio, community radio, Digital Media, Entertainment channels and National Broadcasters including the Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati.
Quoting the example of Digitisation of Cable TV, where all stakeholders have themselves taken initiatives towards creating awareness, Julka suggested that the Entertainment Industry should bring leading stars together to communicate messages through TV on Swacch Bharat to households.
For the FM radio industry and community radio stations, Julka appealed to create region specific and event specific programmes on the Swacch Bharat Mission.
He has also appealed to the Digital Media Industry to play Swacch Bharat messages across various theatre screens in the country, to make people aware about the initiative.
Representatives of the industry extended their support to carry forward the initiative and shared their views and suggestions in order to create an effective multi-media campaign which would translate ‘information into action’ towards fulfilling the Prime Minister’s vision on “Swacchchhata”.
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.
