I&B Ministry
Kerala sweeps tourism publicity awards, American tourist bags writers’s award
NEW DELHI: Kerala swept the publicity awards in the National Tourism Awards for the year 2014-15 with as many as three awards apart frpm an award to a foreign tourist for writing about the state.
The Tourism Departments of Kerala and Gujarat jointly shared the Tourism award Most Innovative use of Information Technology – Social Media / Mobile App.
Ms Stephanie Pearson of the United States received the award for feature on Kerala, “The Green Heaven”.
The Tourism Department of Kerala received two other awards: for the coffee table volume on“Kerala & The Spice Routes”, and their Brochure “The Great Backwaters (Das Faszinierendste Gewässer der Erde)” in German Language in the category of Excellence in Publishing in Foreign Language other than English.
The Best Tourism Film award went to Department of Tourism of Daman & Diu for the film “Ilha De Calma”.
The Department of Tourism of Telangana for their coffee Table Book “Ancient Temples of Telangana” in the category of Best Tourism Promotion Publicity Material by States and Union Territories.
The awards were given away over the weekend by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who said tourists are the Brand Ambassadors of their respective countries and Tourism is a mode of improving the image of their countries abroad.
All the persons involved in Tourism industry are the Flag Bearers of the country. The continuous strive for service excellence is all the more important as India’s Tourism Sector is on an upward growth track.
Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and Secretary Vinod Zutshi also spoke on the occasion.
In all, 74 Awards were presented in various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Tourism Ministers of many States, Central and State Government Officials, Members from the Travel and Hospitality Industries, including leading Hoteliers, Travel Agents and Tour Operators and Travel Media attended the function.
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
