I&B Ministry
MeiTY & Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gets I&B additionally
MUMBAI: Ashwini Vaishnaw made his mark in the Modi 2.0 government by holding two portfolios – the minister of electronics and information technology as well as that of the railways. Now a third one has been added to his list of responsibilities: in Modi 3.0 that of the ministry of information and broadcasting in Modi 3.0. He replaces Anurag Thakur who ran the ministry during Modi 2.0, and was kept out of the cabinet, despite winning from his constituency.
Vaishnaw will have his hands full with the various ministries. But there is some overlap between the MeITY and I&B ministry, especially considering that both are concerned with the ballooning video streaming business with around 60-70 apps in operation.
Public pressure has forced the government to regulate the video entertainment streamers, something which MeiTY has done effectively. With the content ecosystem – which is the preserve of the I&B ministry- coming under his supervision, it could well make things easier for him.
The minister will have his work cut out for him: on the one hand, Vaishnaw will have to put in his best efforts to somehow ameliorate the popular perception that the Modi government has been manipulating the media to its own ends, through a carrot and stick approach. Then Prasar Bharti needs some amount of direction going forward, even as Doordarshan needs to be reinvented and modernised in keeping with the needs of modern viewers who are today spoilt for choice. Decisions on viewership monitoring too have to be taken.
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.
