I&B Ministry
Mass Comm courses in regional languages significant: Naidu
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the vast need of skilled personnel in the media and entertainment sector in the country as the sector was expanding rapidly.
The Minister referred to the prominent role being played by the Government’s Skill India Initiative for upgrading skills under multiple disciplines. He added that the vision of this Government was to bring Transformational changes in all sectors.
Speaking about the changing paradigm in communication, the Minister said Social Media has broken the boundaries of time and space in communication. It is a pre-requisite for budding journalists to be social media savvy and to have a watchful eye about the public perception on issues of local and international importance.
He advised students aspiring to become journalists in future to ensure that news and views are not mixed and be objective. Every budding young journalist should have an open mind to acquire maximum knowledge to present the perspective in an objective manner. He urged students to keep abreast with the latest developments, new technology and new modes of communication and should inculcate a habit of reading to remain relevant and effective.
He also called upon the Indian Institute of Mass Communications to strive for journalism courses in all Indian languages to cater to the communication needs of the citizens all across the country.
The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the First PG Diploma course in Urdu Journalism, the 67th Diploma course in Development Journalism, and the launch of the IIMC Journal “Communicator” at Shastri Bhawan.
Emphasizing on the training methodology, Naidu said it was important in the current scenario to include Case studies and practical exposure as a part of curriculum for learning, practising and applying new concepts. He also stressed the need for imparting an outlook that is rooted in strong ethical values among budding journalists and communicators.
Naidu said Urdu journalism was an important and integral part of media and communication landscape of our country which had played an important role in the Freedom Struggle.
Inaugurating the 67th Development Journalism course, the Minister said India is today regaining the lost glory of being the Knowledge hub of the world. The Development Journalism course provided a great opportunity for understanding and appreciating each other’s culture, and developing bonds of friendship.
He added that journalist scholars from various Developing Countries were unofficial Ambassadors of India who shall provide a link of brotherhood among different cultures through their writings. The 67th batch of Development Journalism course at IIMC has 23 scholars (12 females and 11 males) from 19 different countries.
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.
