I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar officially seeks early retirement
MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar has been known to not pull any punches. Last month, he had expressed his desire to resign from his post to the media as he was not getting anywhere with the organisaton and neither was Prasar Bharati. Now, he has written to the ministry of information & broadcasting secretary (MIB) Ajay Mittal stating that he would like to resign prematurely from 4 November, says a PTI report.
He has also written to I&B minister Venkaiah Naidu, expressing his desire to resign from his position post-Diwali – that is after 30 October. The report goes on to state that he would like to relocate to Kolkata.
Sircar was yanked out of his position as secretary, culture, and installed as the Prasar Bharati CEO by an eminent panel led by the then Indian vice-president and a Supreme Court judge during the UPA government’s tenure in 2012. He serves as the vice-president of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union, which is a club of broadcasters from 67 countries. He has also had two short stints MIB secretary during his career.
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.
