I&B Ministry
Modi’s Mann ki Baat on 28 February will be the 17th consecutive broadcast
NEW DELHI: The 17th instalment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ will be broadcast on 28 February, just a day before the presentation of the Union Budget for 2016-17 by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
The broadcast will be at 11 am over the entire network of All India Radio. The broadcast will be relayed by all AIR stations, all AIR FM channels (FM Gold and FM Rainbow), local radio stations, Vividh Bharati Stations and five community radio stations.
The regional versions of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ will be originated by the capital AIR stations in non-Hindi speaking zones at 8 pm on the same day. The regional versions will be relayed by all AIR stations including local radio stations in the respective states.
It will also be broadcast by Doordarshan and other private TV and news channels in India and broadcast simultaneously. Similarly, radio in private sector patches and all DTH operators will also carry it.
It will also be streamed live for global audience and is accessible through mobile app All India Radio Live and on pmindia.nic.in.
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.
