ITV

Category: I&B Ministry

  • DD has no plans for new terrestrial transmitters in view of Freedish: MoS Rathore

    DD has no plans for new terrestrial transmitters in view of Freedish: MoS Rathore

    NEW DELHI: A total of 19 digital transmitters have been installed in 17 states including Delhi ‘to keep pace with the advancement in broadcasting industry in the world’, Parliament has been informed.

     

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said a total of 40 digital high power transmitters under the 11th plan and 23 under the 12th plan have been approved as part of the digitisation schemes.

     

    The 19 which are already under implementation include two each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The other states apart from Delhi are Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Tanil Nadu, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

     

    Meanwhile, the Minister said no new transmitters for terrestrial were envisaged for Doordarshan “in view of multi channel TV coverage having been provided in the entire country including rural areas through the free-to-air Freedish, except a few in border areas.”

     

    As part of the ongoing schemes of the 11th plan, four transmitter projects are under implementation in J&K including a high power transmitter for DD1 and DD News in Rajouri. The others are HPTs in Green Ridge, Himbotingla and Natha Top (Patnitop). 

  • Delay in promotions in Prasar Bharati not due to central budgetary grants: MoS Rathore

    Delay in promotions in Prasar Bharati not due to central budgetary grants: MoS Rathore

    NEW DELHI: The government has told Parliament that the delay in promotions is not attributable to allocation of funds by the government to Prasar Bharati.

     

    Stating this, Minister of State in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore told Parliament that a total allocation of Rs 2495.03 crore was given to Prasar Bharati for the current financial year at the budget estimates stage for plan schemes.

     

    This included salary and salary related expenses of Prasar Bharati, he said in reply to a question.

    Funds are allocated by the government to Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan and All India Radio) on the basis of budget proposals sent by this Ministry in consultation with Prasar Bharati.

     

    The budget proposals are finalised after due consultations with Prasar Bharati before being sent to the Government for allocation. 

  • K. Sanjay Murthy appointed joint secretary in I&B

    K. Sanjay Murthy appointed joint secretary in I&B

    NEW DELHI: Senior Indian Administrative Service officer K Sanjay Murthy has been appointed as the joint secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B).

     

    A 1989 officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre, he was until now principal secretary (Food & civil supplies, Transport, & Technical Education) in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

     

    His appointment took effect from 21 November and will continue until 20 November 2019 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

     

    Ministry sources said that Murthy was expected to be given charge of films, as Raghuvendra Singh is due for transfer as his term is over. 

  • Govt. keen on early expansion of phase III of FM radio

    Govt. keen on early expansion of phase III of FM radio

    NEW DELHI: Even as the government wants to commence the expansion of phase III of FM radio to bring in additional revenue, there appears to be a re-think on the question permitting these channels to carry All India Radio news bulletins.
     

    While confirming that he was keen to start the process as soon as possible in the current financial year, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said about the proposal to allow broadcast of news on private FM radio stations: “Let me consider this at length.”
     

    His response was in a similar manner when asked about permitting All India Radio news bulletins on private FM stations.

     
    The Minister said his Ministry and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are considering aspects related to this process. He said. “Some aspects are being considered between the I&B Ministry and the regulator. And I would like to see that happen quite early. If I could have my way, it should be in this financial year because I now speak in both capacities.
    31 March, and some more revenue to the government has some relevance to me,” said Jaitley,

     
    More than 800 new FM radio channels are proposed to be allowed to come up in nearly 294 cities across the country under phase III.

     
    While the previous government had cleared the carriage of AIR news bulletins on private FM channels and even given the option to the existing 245 FM channels to opt for phase III, it had halted the process of auction in view of the elections.

     
    Jaitley’s predecessor Prakash Javadekar had not only promised early e-auctions, but said that the government would consider what can be broadcast by the private FM channels on their own other than AIR news bulletins.

     

  • MSOs not ordering STBs, say manufacturers

    MSOs not ordering STBs, say manufacturers

    MUMBAI: The former Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar had emphasised the need for bringing in indigenous Set Top Boxes (STBs) and the new administration is also keen to do the same. It was with this in mind that I&B secretary Bimal Julka held a meeting with indigenous STB manufacturers recently.

    Julka said that the issue of C-Form had already been addressed by the government to ensure level playing field for the domestic manufacturers as compared to imported STBs. The meeting was to assess the readiness of the manufacturers to meet the 11 million STB requirements since they had stated that sufficient capacity had been installed.

    A meeting had also been held with the Prime Minister regarding availability of conditional access system (CAS). The issue of interoperability of STBs was also being scrutinised and a task force meeting on the same had also been held.

    The STB manufacturers informed that they have been in touch with operators for their requirements but their response has not been encouraging. According to them the operators are anticipating change in timeline of digitisation and a change in policy, leading to their slow uptake.

    The manufacturers stated that they are prepared to go head on with the imported boxes as well as have a penal clause on penalty. Since no order was coming from operators, it was a difficult task to prepare production since time was needed to receive the components from suppliers.

    Therefore, they manufacturers have requested the Ministry to facilitate a process so that MSOs look at indigenous STBs for phases III and IV of digitisation. A joint meeting between the three could be held to resolve concerns.

    Julka clarified that 2015 and 2016 are the final dates for digitisation, so there needs to be no apprehension on that front. Monitoring of the digitisation programme would be scaled up in accordance with the implementation strategy being set in the Ministry.

     

  • “Indian cinema offers vision to young minds to learn and nurture talent”: Arun Jaitley

    “Indian cinema offers vision to young minds to learn and nurture talent”: Arun Jaitley

    MUMBAI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the Indian film industry has come of age in view of the diversity it offers with regards to the number of films produced in different languages and themes.

     

    “Cinema today acts as the alternate religion as it entertains, educates, gives a social perspective to issues, offers young growing minds the vision to learn and nurtures talent,” said Jaitley while delivering his address at the inaugural ceremony of the 45th edition of International Film Festival of India which began in Goa on 20 November.

     

    Elaborating further, Jaitley said cinema as a medium in the country has matured. “There is corporatisation of the industry, making it more professional and vibrant,” he said.

     

    The Minister reiterated the efforts being made by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to mainstream the National Film Heritage Mission as a policy initiative. “This will ensure the preservation of the record of Indian cinema digitally,” he added highlighting the importance of Goa being made the permanent venue of the International Film Festival of India in the context of its hospitality, growth, natural beauty and cultural diversity.

     

    Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was also present on the occasion, said that all efforts would be made to host the next edition of IFFI at the permanent venue.

     

    Also speaking on the occasion, I&B secretary Bimal Julka said that IFFI aims to nurture, encourage and inspire Indian cinema and introduce it to the world outside as well as many audiences within the country.

     

    Each edition of IFFI facilitates new strategies thereby ensuring enriched, enhanced and enlarged viewing experience. The vision of IFFI was to provide a common platform to project the excellence of the film art. With China being the focus country, Julka said that a special package on contemporary Chinese cinema had been created at the festival.

     

    In his address, the Chief Guest for the function,  Amitabh Bachchan traced the evolution of Indian cinema through its various facets touching upon the iconic films in different periods and the dominant themes. Bachchan also highlighted the role and relevance of Indian cinema in the context of India’s diversity and plurality.

     

    Jaitley along with Bachchan conferred the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year on Rajnikanth for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema. The prestigious award consists of cash prize of Rs 10,00000, certificate and the Silver Peacock Medal. The award was instituted last year to commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema.

     

    The International Jury for the Festival was also introduced at the inaugural ceremony. Jaitley felicitated the Jury Members including the chairman SlawomirIdziak, noted film maker from Poland, eminent Chinese film director, Zhang Jianya, renowned Swiss film maker and head of International Locarno Film Festival Nadia Dresti, noted American film critic, Marie Brenner, and renowned Indian actress Seema Biswas.

     

    The inaugural function also witnessed the screening of ‘Swacch Bharat’ promotion film and the signature film of the festival. The Signature Film was directed by Shaji N Karun, one of the renowned film makers of India. The President directed by eminent Iranian film maker, Mohsen  Makhmalbaf was the opening film of the festival.

     

    The 11 day festival would screen 178 films from 79 countries across different categories which includes world cinema (61 films), master-strokes (11 films), festival kaleidoscope (20 films), soul of Asia (7 films), documentaries (6 films) and animated films (6 films). Besides, Indian panorama section would include 26 feature and 15 non-feature films. North-east being the focus region of the festival, IFFI 2014 would be showcasing seven films from North eastern part of India. Regional cinema would also be an integral part of the festival. Retrospective sections on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah, special homage films on Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen and special tribute to Farooq Sheikh would be other attractions this year. A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives and master classes/workshops would also form a part of IFFI 2014.

     

    The open air screening of Indian films for the general public free of cost on first come first basis would be a new attraction in IFFI 2014. Besides the world premieres, IFFI 2014 offered a repertoire of activities, such as the film bazar, 3D film shows, dinners, master classes, panel discussions, stalls and open-air screenings for the delegates.

  • I &B sets format for Home Ministry Security clearance for TV channels

    I &B sets format for Home Ministry Security clearance for TV channels

    NEW DELHI: In view of new clearances and those who need fresh security clearance for next 10 years, the government has set out the format in which applications should be sent by news and non-news television channels seeking Home Ministry security clearance to uplink or downlink.

     

     The applications have to be sent to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry within 15 days.

     

     The companies owning channels have to furnish the details of the company and its Board of Directors (in four additional sets) in the prescribed format listed out in the Ministry’s website mib.nic.in.

     

     The details required are details of the company/firm for whom clearance is sought; names of firms/bidders, registered office address, date of incorporation, details of the Directors/Key Executive in respect of whom clearance is sought, name/parentage, date of Birth, Present Position held and complete address including e-mail and websites etc.

  • Use the power of cinema and other modern tools to spread knowledge and learning, says Jaitley

    Use the power of cinema and other modern tools to spread knowledge and learning, says Jaitley

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said today that filmmakers and creative people should use modern tools like cinema to spread knowledge and learning.

    Referring to the Bal Swaccha Abhiyaan launched today on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he said ‘Swachhta’ should be instilled as one of the core moral values in childhood so that children practice the habit of cleanliness as part of their childhood and personality.
     
    Inaugurating the first Rashtriya Bal Film Mela which coincided with Children’s Day, he stressed that celluloid media had become a powerful source of knowledge in the Information age and cinema had been emerged as a powerful tool for education in addition to its manifest function of entertainment.
     
    The Rashtriya Bal Film Mela would help in instilling values of cleanliness practiced and propagated by Mahatma Gandhi, the Minister added.
     
    Jaitley called upon the young children to watch the films made by veteran film director Shyam Benegal, who was present, including ‘The Making of Mahatma’ and ‘The Discovery of India’.  

    I&B secretary Bimal Julka said around three million watch films made by the Children’s Film Society, India, which has organised this three-day Festival.

    He pointed out that this will be held every second year, alternating with the International Children’s Film Festival (Golden Elephant) held in Hyderabad every alternate year by the CFSI which was set up at the initiative of Nehru as a soft power to unite children.
     
    He said the Ministry was carrying forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Swachh Bharat through this festival on the theme of ‘Swachhta.’
     
    Eminent sportsperson Sania Mirza, who recalled that she had always looked forward to the Gold Elephant as a child in Hyderabad, asked the children present to take a pledge with her to keep the country clean.

    Actresses Dia Mirza and Sakshi Tanwar also demonstrated how it was easy to keep the environment clean by regularly cleaning their own neighbourhoods. Kunal Roy Kapur and Divya Dutta have anchored the show.
     
    The three day festival would provide an opportunity for children to appreciate high-quality film content, experience value-based entertainment, and to trigger their imagination about environment conservation and cleanliness.

     
    The festival would showcase a bunch of internationally acclaimed children’s films on the theme of cleanliness. CFSI’s latest production, Pappu Ki Pugdandi was the inaugural film in the festival.

     

    Other films that would be screened in the festival include Kaphal which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film, Shortcut Safari which will be premiered for the first time, The Goal, Ek Ajooba (CFSI productions), Karamati Coat, Summer with the Ghost, Sunshine Berry & Disco Worms, Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo, The Boot Cake, Hawa Hawaii, Krish Trish Baltiboy- 3, and Goopi Gawaiiya Bhaga Bajaiiya.

     

    The festival would feature interactive workshops on film making with experts from the Film and Television Institute of India and the Satyajit Ray FTI in Kolkata, film appreciation, animation, Charlie Chaplin’s Mimes, and storytelling. Live dance performances, magic act, sand act, and puppetry along with various competitions such as painting on the theme, ‘Swachhta’, and digital collage on the theme ‘Clean India’ and the craft of making utility items from waste materials, were being organised on the sidelines of the festival.
     
    The inauguration was followed by a cultural programme with school children, the Prince Dance Troupe, Shiamak Davar’s Junior Group which included some disabled children, and the renowned artist Vilas Nayak giving performances.

     

  • “Digitisation will bring quality and transparency in subscriber base”: Arun Jaitley

    “Digitisation will bring quality and transparency in subscriber base”: Arun Jaitley

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley has emphasised the importance of the digitisation programme in providing better quality of service, wider choice of content and its important role in bringing about transparency within the subscriber base.

     
    As a process it had also brought about a change in the broadcasting landscape as well as enabled broadband penetration within the country, he told the first Consultative Committee Meeting of Members of Parliament attached to his Ministry.

     

    The meeting devoted its deliberations to the issue of digitisation of cable TV network in phase III and IV.  Minister of State for I&B Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was also present in the meeting.

     

    A presentation was made on behalf of the Ministry giving an overview of the digitisation process. The presentation highlighted the steps taken during phase I and II and the proposed road map for phase III and IV.

     
    Specific reference was made to the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry including the discussions with stakeholders and the campaign to sensitise masses.

     

    Members of the Committee gave suggestions to ensure that the concerns of all stakeholders were addressed. It was also emphasised that MSOs should operationalise grievance redressal mechanisms to address the concerns of cable subscribers. They emphasised that quality of domestically manufactured Set Top Boxes (STBs) must be ensured.

     
    The issue of digitisation, plan of Doordarshan terrestrial network and the steps being taken to implement the process was also deliberated upon.

     
    It was also mentioned that the Ministry needed to take proactive steps to ensure timely registration of MSO applications so as to ensure the large presence of MSOs to implement the digitisation programme during phase III and phase IV.

     

    During the discussions emphasis was laid on the efforts being made by the Ministry to integrate the domestic STB manufacturers with the ‘Make in India’ programme. Specific reference was made to the initiative of the Ministry in resolving the long pending issue of ‘C’ Form to create a level playing field for domestic STB manufacturers. Members were also informed that interactions were being held with the STB fraternity to ensure that they utilised their capacity to fulfill the demand for STBs during phase III and phase IV.

     

    The Members of Parliament who attended the meeting included Dr. Jayakumar Jayavardhan, Tapas Paul, V. Sathyabama, M P Achuthan, P Rajeeve, Pawan Kumar Varma and Vivek Gupta.

     

  • I&B Ministry to study why MSOs are not taking indigenous STBs

    I&B Ministry to study why MSOs are not taking indigenous STBs

    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) will facilitate a meeting of manufacturers of indigenous set top boxes (STBs) and multi-system operators (MSOs) next week in view of complaints by the manufacturers that no orders were being placed for their STBs.

     

    This was decided at a meeting of the Task Force which will oversee the next two phases of digital addressable system (DAS) and which met under the chairmanship of Ministry Additional Secretary J S Mathur here today.

     

    Earlier this week, the manufacturers had met Ministry secretary Bimal Julka and made the same complaint.

     

    The participants were apprised that around 3.5 households had to be covered in the third phase of digitisation.

     

    A Ministry source told indiantelevision.com that the meeting discussed various roadblocks on the road to full digitisation and ways to overcome these hurdles.

     

    Star India legal & regulatory senior vice president Pulak Bagchi, who is also the representative of the broadcasters said emphatically that broadcasters would support voluntary transition to DAS as long as there were some ground rules.

     

    He also said that broadcasters were prepared to give concessions to operators switching over to DAS provided the operators totally stopped analogue transmission.

     

    Bagchi also said that it should be made mandatory that any MSO or local cable operator who switches over to DAS should switch off analogue and not run both systems.

     

    The meeting was attended by around 20 people and included representatives of trade bodies like FICCI and CII, apart from MSOs, LCOs and DAS advisor Yogendra Pal.