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Tag: Doordarshan

  • Sports promotion: Rathore averse to leaning on govt

    NEW DELHI: Becoming an achiever gives a different spirit to one’s personality. But, even accepting a challenge is strength in itself even if one loses.

    Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, a former shooting champion, said this at the concluding session of the one-day Sports Conclave organized by Doordarshan Sports to discuss ways in which India can become a sports superpower.

    It was telecast live by interlinking various kendras throughout the day on 28 May 2017. The meet held at the Central Production Centre of Doordarshan in south Delhi had several experts including sports writers and even former sportspersons discussing various subjects.

    It was inaugurated in the morning by Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and discussions also featured Union sports minister Vijay Goel and sports ministers of different states apart from eminent sports personalities.   

    To a question, Rathore said sports had to be adaptable and this was evident from the way it had adapted to television. “Use the situation to your advantage and you will find kids are always ready to play.”
     
    Rathore also said that a sportsperson could only succeed if he had family support if one wanted to choose sports as a career. At the same time, it was not necessary to depend on the government for everything. As an example, he said he encouraged the people in his constituency to create a kabaddi team and was surprised when even girls volunteered.

    Not merely that, he found some people on their own volunteering either to create smooth grounds, or mow the grass, or do other things that they did on their own. But, all this needed behavioral change and the will power and administrative capability.

    To to a question, he said that he had found that as a sportsperson he had tended to become a little eccentric.

    The second session Edit Page had eminent sports writers from different publications.
    The third session ‘State’ of the Nation had four sports ministers of different states: Chetan Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh); Anil Vij (Haryana), Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Madhya Pradesh), and Arvind Pandey (Uttarakhand).

    The next session on ‘India mai hai dum’ featured five figures from the world of badminton from Hyderabad, Jameshedpur, Calicut, Agartala, Pune and other centres of excellence. It was conducted by Ms Ashwini Poonappa.

    This was followed by a session on Indian Sports = Today and Tomorrow at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

    The Making of the Olympians moderated by the renowned Ashwini Nachappa at Central Production Centre Delhi and Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati saw the participation of eminent sportspersons.

    Vision 2020 and 2024 at CPC Delhi featured a discussion anchored by Ashwini Nachappa which had Baldev Singh from the Prime Minister’s Task Force, and TFA and Sports Head Mukul Vinayak Choudhari.

    Also Read :

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    DD committed to truthful information & wholesome entertainment: Naidu

  • National sports meet to see participation of government and sports persons

    NEW DELHI: A day-long Conclave is to inaugurated by Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu tomorrow (28 May 2017) to discuss ways in which India can become a sports superpower.

    Organised by Doordarshan Sports, the meet being held at the Central Production Centre of Doordarshan in south Delhi and other venues will have several experts including sports writers and even former sportspersons discussing various subjects.

    The concluding session will be addressed by Minister of State for I and B Rajyavardhan Rathore.

    The programme will be live on DD Sports channel.

    The first session being addressed by Naidu will be in will Delhi and Varanasi.

    The second session Edit Page will have Rahul Banerjee from Asian Age, Ayaz Memon who is a sports expert, Shantanu Guha Roy of CEN (Vienna), and Ms Neeru Bhatia of The Week.

    The third session ‘State’ of the Nation will have four Sports Ministers of different states: Chetan Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh); Anil Vij (Haryana), Ms Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Madhya Pradesh), and Arvind Pandey (Uttarakhand).

    The next session on ‘India mai hai dum’ will feature five figures from the world of badminton from Hyderabad, Jameshedpur, Calicut, Agartala, Pune and other centres of excellence. It will have the National Bandminton coach P Gopi Chand with Ms P V Sindhu, P Kashyap, K Srikanth, and Ms Ashwini Poonappa.

    This will followed by a half-hour documentary on the completion of three years of the Narendra Modi Government.

    This will be followed by a session on Indian Sports = Today and Tomorrow at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This will have Adil Summariwala of the Athletics Federation of India, Ms Elena Norman from Hockey India, Kushal Das of the All India Football Federation, and Col. Amarbir Singh of the All India Tennis Federation.

    The Making of the Olympians moderated by renowned Ms Ashwini Nachappa at Central Production Centre Delhi and Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati will see the participation of Vijender Singh and Ms M C Marykom from the field of boxing, Sandeep Singh and Jagbir Singh from hockey, Sushil Kumar (wrestling), Gymnastics Coach B Nandi with Dipa Karmakar, Jayanta Talukdar from archery, Thangboi Singto (Lajong FC), a member of the Aizawl Football Club which was the I-League Champion, Ms Karnam Malleshwari (weightlifting), Khazan Singh (swimming) and para athlete Deepa Malik.

    This will be followed by ‘Real Heroes’ become ‘Reel Heroes’ by Doordarshan Kendra Mumbai.

    Vision 2020 and 2024 at CPC Delhi will be discussed by Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel, Om Pathak and Baldev Singh from the Prime Minister’s Task Force, and TFA and Sports Head Mukul Vinayak Choudhari.

    This will be followed by the final session with Rathore who is himself a former sportsperson.

  • FreeDish goes for second auction in May

    NEW DELHI: After bagging three new general entertainment channels earlier this month, Doordarshan is all set for the 35th e-auction for its DTH platform FreeDish next week, thus marking the first time when a second e-auction is being held within the same month.

    The e-auction confined to only non-news and current affairs channels is set for 25 May 2017 will have a reserve price of Rs 80 million as in the e-auction held on 9 May when Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema, and 9X Jalwa successfully bid to come on the platform. Each bid came at the reserve price, Rs 80 million. The Parliament was informed earlier last month that Doordarshan’s DTH platform was soon getting approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels over the next two years.

    But, DD got a jolt last month when its 33rd e-auction slated for 11 April could not be held. Although there was no official confirmation, indiantelevision.com learnt that FreeDish auction could not be held because there were no applicants. After final trials of MPEG4 and the success of the 32nd auction in February, the reserve price for the next auction has been raised to Rs 80 million from Rs 48 million per slot.

    Until last year, the reserve price was Rs 43 million but one channel fetched the bid of Rs 70 million in the auction held on 14 February 2017.

    Earlier last year, the price for one channel went up to Rs 53 million and gave DD the confidence to raise the price which had been Rs 37 million till 2015 but was raised to Rs 43 million for the 25th e-auction in January 2016.

    The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.   
    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction is Rs.28 million – up from Rs 15 million – which has to be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on the date of auction along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable, up from Rs 10,000) in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

    Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs One Million and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.

    Unsuccessful bidders will get back the participation amount of Rs 28 million within three weeks of the results.

    However, Doordarshan has changed its payment regimen and made it stricter.

    The first installment of 25 per cent of the bid price with the applicable service tax will have to be paid within one month from date of placement of channel.

    The second installment of 25 per cent of the total bid price along with the applicable service tax will have to be paid within four months of placement of channel.

    The third installment of remaining amount after adjusting the participation fee and previous installments but adding the applicable service tax will be deposited within seven months of placement of channel.

    If any of the installments is not paid in time, a penal interest of 14.5 per cent per annum will be levied.

    If there is failure in depositing an installment for two months, the deposited participation amount along with any installment paid will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice.

    Doordarshan had in October last year formally announced that FreeDish was capable of carrying 104 television channels and 24 channels would be added to the existing 80 channels after the launch of MPEG4 technology.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has implemented Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) was introduced in the auction held last month. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said the existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels and 32 radio channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorized set-top boxes for accessing all new channels.

    Although Free Dish will remain free-to-air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.

     DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.

    With analogue having been switched off, Parliament had been told that many stakeholders feel that FreeDish is the best option in Phase IV which covers rural India.

    FreeDish was launched with a modest bouquet of 33 channels in December 2004, and now carries eighty TV channels and 32 radio channels. This includes 22 Doordarshan channels and two parliamentary channels, seven general entertainment channels, 18 movie channels, 13 news channels, seven music channels, three religious channels and eight channels of other genres. The All-India Radio stations also piggy-back on the platform.

    Also read:

    MIB favours switching to DTH if consumers have problems with MSOs or LCOs

    FreeDish aims to reach 150 channels, earned Rs 3 bn in a year

    DD FreeDish auction next week, reserve price is Rs 80 million

  • Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema & 9X Jalwa set to join DD FreeDish, bid Rs 80m each

    NEW DELHI: Three general entertainment channels – Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema, and 9X Jalwa – have bagged three slots on Doordarshan’s DTH platform FreeDish.

    In the 34th e-auction om 9 May 2017, the three channels bid Rs 80 million each, which was the reserve price.  

    After final trials of MPEG4 and the success of the 32nd auction in February, the reserve price for the next auction has been raised to Rs 80 million from Rs 48 million per slot.

    Parliament was informed earlier last month that FreeDish was soon getting approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels over the next two years.

    Until last year, the reserve price was Rs 43 million but one channel fetched the bid of Rs 70 million in the auction held on 14 February 2017.

    Earlier last year, the price for one channel went up to Rs 53 million and gave DD the confidence to raise the price which had been Rs 37 million till 2015 but was raised to Rs 43 million for the 25th e-auction in January 2016.

    DD got a jolt last month when its auction slated for 11 April could not be held. Although there was no official confirmation, indiantelevision.com learns that the FreeDish auction could not be held because there were no applicants.

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction was Rs.28 nullion – up from Rs 15 million – along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable, up from Rs 10,000).

    Incremental amount for the auction was Rs One Million. Of the bid price, Rs 11 million will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 11 million within two months along with service tax of 15 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice. The participation fee will be adjusted against the third and final installment for the respective channel.

    A new era begun with the adoption of MPEG4 helping FreeDish take the first major step to mark towards its target of 104 television channels by March end with its 32nd e-auction which helped it cross the capacity of eighty channels. FreeDish touched the figure of 104 with its 32nd Auction.

    Doordarshan had in October last year formally announced that FreeDish was capable of carrying 104 television channels and 24 channels would be added to the existing 80 channels after the launch of MPEG4 technology.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has implemented Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) was introduced in the auction held last month. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said the existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels and 32 radio channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorized set-top boxes for accessing all new channels.

    Although FreeDish will remain free to air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.

    DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.

    With analogue having been switched off, Parliament had been told that many stakeholders feel that FreeDish is the best option in Phase IV which covers rural India.

    FreeDish was launched with a modest bouquet of 33 channels in December 2004, and now carries eighty TV channels and 32 radio channels. This includes 22 Doordarshan channels and two parliamentary channels, seven general entertainment channels, 18 movie channels, 13 news channels, seven music channels, three religious channels and eight channels of other genres. All All India Radio stations also piggy-back on the platform.

    Also Read

    MIB favours switching to DTH if consumers have problems with MSOs or LCOs

    FreeDish aims to reach 150 channels, earned Rs 3 bn in a year

    DD FreeDish auction next week, reserve price is Rs 80 million

  • DD may seek mythological serial producers at ‘premium,’ plan to revive epic dramas under way

    MUMBAI: With the direction of the ministry of information and broadcasting ministry for concentrating on quality programmes as reconfirmed by the union minister Venkaiah Naidu in Chennai, Prasar Bharati seems to have fastened its belt.

    Pubcaster Doordarshan, with the aim increasing its TRPs (television rating points), has decided to telecast golden oldies — Mahabharat and Ramayan kind of mega serials. These mega-serials were not telecast in the past several years.

    By airing mega serials based on Indian mythology, Prasar Bharati hopes that Doordarshan will gain significant revenue as there is a ready market for such serials which had been money-spinners for Doordarshan. Although a number of private television channels had been trying to follow the Doordarshan formula of telecasting serials based on Indian mythology, they had been unable to generate the kind of following that the pubcaster had had.

    The national broadcaster may to seek proposals for production of serials based on “Indian mythological” themes, sources said. The Prasar Bharati board meanwhile is planning to increase the commissioning fees of serials. Because, sources said, under the prevailing rates, attracting big production houses for developing content for mega serials is remote.

    Owing to the tremendous popularity of the mega serials on Doordarshan, a number of actors such as Arvind Trivedi, Deepika Chikliya and Nitish Bharadwaj were voted to power by the electorate.

    Also Read :

    Chennai DD upgrade under way, Rs 15-cr HD studio to be operational in ’17-18

    Arasu licence for ‘affordability’, pvt MSOs concern to be studied, says Naidu

    DD FreeDish auction next week, reserve price is Rs 80 million

    DTH & cable gap being tapped by FTAs like FreeDish, DTT to reach 60 cities: Naidu

     

  • Chennai DD upgrade under way, Rs 15-cr HD studio to be operational in ’17-18

    MUMBAI: The Central government is planning to establish an HD TV studio in Chennai at a cost of Rs 15 crore which will be commissioned in 2017-18, union minister Venkaiah Naidu has said. About upgrading facilities at Doordarshan Kendra in Chennai, Naidu said 245 studio high-definition cameras and 254 field cameras had been procured for beefing up the infrastructure.

    The information and broadcasting minister reviewed the performance of the Doordarshan Kendra and All India Radio in Chennai. Referring to increase in community radio subsidy to 75% across India as reported by www.indiantelevision.com in December 2016, he said NGOs and universities would be encouraged to set up community radios and they also could receive subsidy.

    Community radio was an empowering as well as useful tool to cater to the people in local dialect, he said, adding such radio broadcasts were of “immediate” relevance to the community.

    About enhancing the services of public broadcasters at par with private ones, Naidu said he had directed officials to produce quality programmes to compete with private FM channels.

    Public broadcasting was an essential service and, owing to that, the prime minister Narendra Modi chose AIR and Doordarshan for his ‘Mann ki baat programme’, he said.

    Also Read:

    Parliamentary panel pans DD, AIR for recurring lapses 

    DTH & cable gap being tapped by FTAs like FreeDish, DTT to reach 60 cities: Naidu

    Sam Pitroda report on Prasar Bharati revamp caught in legal wrangles

  • DD FreeDish auction next week, reserve price is Rs 80 million

    NEW DELHI: Even as the Parliament was informed earlier last month that Doordarshan’s DTH platform was soon getting approval to increase this capacity to 250 channels over the next two years, FreeDish is all set to hold its 34th e-auction on 9 May 2017 to fill vacant slots.

    After final trials of MPEG4 and the success of the 32nd auction in February, the reserve price for the next auction has been raised to Rs 80 million from Rs 48 million per slot.

    Until last year, the reserve price was Rs 43 million but one channel fetched the bid of Rs 70 million in the auction held on 14 February 2017.

    Earlier last year, the price for one channel went up to Rs 53 million and gave DD the confidence to raise the price which had been Rs 37 million till 2015 but was raised to Rs 43 million for the 25th e-auction in January 2016.

    DD got a jolt last month when its auction slated for 11 April could not be held. Although there was no official confirmation, indiantelevision.com learns that the FreeDish auction could not be held because there were no applicants.

    In many ways, this was a repetition in the sense that the e-auctions for the primary channels of DD National were postponed twice last year.

    The e-Auction will be conducted by M/s. C1 India Pvt. Ltd., Noida which also conducted the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.   

    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-Auction is Rs.28 million – up from Rs 15 million – which has to be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on the date of auction along with processing fee of Rs.25,000 (non-refundable, up from Rs 10,000) in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.

    Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs One Million and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.

    Of the reserve price, Rs 11 million will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 11 million within two months along with service tax of 15 per cent on the bid amount.

    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice. The participation fee will be adjusted against the third and final installment for the respective channel.

    DD refused to disclose the number of slots being put up for e-auction as officials claim this leads to unhealthy practices.

    Doordarshan had in October last year formally announced that FreeDish was capable of carrying 104 television channels and 24 channels would be added to the existing 80 channels after the launch of MPEG4 technology.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has implemented Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) was introduced in the auction held last month. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said the existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels and 32 radio channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorized set-top boxes for accessing all new channels.

    Although FreeDish will remain free-to-air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorized STB dealers.

     DD officials said implementation of iCAS and authorisation of STB original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Doordarshan will give a major thrust to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. At present, a majority of STBs are imported. However, the introduction of iCAS will help in standardization of STBs and encourage quality STB manufacturing in India.

    With analogue having been switched off, Parliament had been told that many stakeholders feel that FreeDish is the best option in Phase IV which covers rural India.

    The Ministry had itself said  in Parliament in February that HITS (Head-end In The Sky), private DTH and DD FreeDish are the options in remote rural areas while discussing the issue of the concerns expressed by operators that over 20 per cent of rural and remote areas were not financially and technically viable.

    FreeDish earned Rs 2.8665 billion through auction of 54 slots in six auctions from 30 March 2016 to 14 February 2017.

    In comparison, DD had earned Rs 1.8034 billion in 2015-16. The last e-auction – the 32nd e-Auction – on 14 February 2017 fetched Rs. 655 million. 

     A new era begun with the adoption of MPEG4 helping FreeDish take the first major step to mark towards its target of 104 television channels by March end with its 32nd e-auction which helped it cross the capacity of eighty channels. FreeDish touched the figure of 104 with its 32nd Auction.

    In line with the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’, DD has decided to implement Indian CAS (iCAS) on DD FreeDish Platform. iCAS (which is an initiative of the central government) is being introduced in 24 MPEG-4 channels. The introduction of iCAS will provide enhanced viewing experience.

    DD officials said these additional 24 MPEG-4 SDTV channels will be available to viewers in FTA mode. The existing viewers will continue to get 80 SDTV channels, but will have to obtain iCAS-enabled authorised set-top boxes for accessing all 104 channels.

    Although FreeDish will remain free-to-air with no monthly or periodic fee, the viewers will be required to register with DD FreeDish on getting the new STB from Doordarshan authorised STB dealers.

    FreeDish was launched with a modest bouquet of 33 channels in December 2004, and now carries eighty TV channels and 32 radio channels. This includes 22 Doordarshan channels and two parliamentary channels, seven general entertainment channels, 18 movie channels, 13 news channels, seven music channels, three religious channels and eight channels of other genres. The All-India Radio stations also piggy-back on the platform.

    Also read:

    MIB favours switching to DTH if consumers have problems with MSOs or LCOs

    FreeDish aims to reach 150 channels, earned Rs 3 bn in a year

  • DTH & cable gap being tapped by FTAs like FreeDish, DTT to reach 60 cities: Naidu

    MUMBAI: Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu has said the Government’s initiatives like Make in India, Skill India and Digital India campaigns were clearly positive signals for new transformation including GST which would prove to be a game-changer for Indian Media and Entertainment sector, especially the Broadcasting sector. The Minister stated this while inaugurating the Two Day seminar organized by Telecom Authority of India on the occasion of completing two decades here today.

    Elaborating further, Naidu mentioned that the broadcasting sector in the country was at the threshold of entering into new era of digital broadcasting, which would open lots of opportunities to use latest technological innovations to not only enhance reach but also enhance the quality of the reach. The revival of radio, the digitisation of cable and the free to air DTH audience growth point to the latent demand for broadcasting in the Indian market at a time when broadcasting in advanced markets in the west is losing out significant space to digital on-demand media platforms. The push towards Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) thus comes at a critical juncture as Doordarshan, the public broadcaster in India looks to expand its DTT footprint from the current 16 cities to another 44. The Minister acknowledged and appreciated TRAI’s recent recommendation on time bound implementation of DTT in India.

    The Minister stated that the government was committed to provide an enabling environment through various policies for the further growth of the Media and Entertainment sector. The Digital India campaign along with the Make in India campaign would strengthen the industries such as video streaming, online music services and gaming in India taking advantage of the increased internet penetration. The Minister also mentioned that indigenous manufacturing of various digital broadcasting equipment had taken roots under the initiative of Make in India and that. He urged all the stake holders to encourage and promote indigenous development of equipments in the country.

    Naidu stated that the gap between the premium Direct To Home (DTH) market and the low quality cable market, lay an opportunity that was currently being tapped by the free to air (FTA) DTH platforms like Doordarshan’s FreeDish. With transparent online auctions allowing for market based discovery of the value of these free to air channels, there was an audience revolution of sorts with rural audiences getting on the FTA DTH bandwagon and contributing for enhanced number of entertainment channels.

    Speaking on the role of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Minister said that the transition to Digital Broadcasting had posed several challenges and the role of TRAI was extremely crucial in this regard for overcoming any hurdles that may put the transition to newer technologies on a slow path. Naidu congratulated TRAI for completing two decades of regulatory services to the nation, which had contributed immensely to the growth of Telecom and Broadcasting sectors while keeping consumer protection in mind.

  • DD invites short films on Govt schemes, ‘DAVP producers’ preferred

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has invited proposals from experienced producers for five Hindi documentaries on five different programmes of the incumbent government.

    The proposals for films with maximum duration of 24 minutes have to be submitted by 24 April 2017. They should also be accompanied by a shorter version of three minutes. The aim of the films will be to showcase success stories in all the five programmes.

    The five programmes to be covered are Saugmya Bharat – Accessible India Campaign of the Social Justice Ministry, Swachh Bharat Mission of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry, Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas of the Minority Affairs Ministry, Mission Indradhanush of the Health Ministry, and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana including the Soil Health Card of the Agriculture Ministry.

    Preference will be given to producers empanelled with the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity but the producer shall not be a defaulter with DAVP or Doordarshan at the time of submission of proposal.

    The producer must have produced for any broadcaster at least 24 hours of factual documentaries in any Indian language in the last three financial years. The producer should have an annual turnover of a minimum Rs 10 million in each of the last three financial years.

    Also read: Parliamentary panel pans DD, AIR for recurring lapses

    Govt denies cartelisation in Prasar Bharati, 724 complaints against MIB in ’16

    DD ad budget crosses Rs 33 million at fag end of 2016-17

  • Sam Pitroda report on Prasar Bharati revamp caught in legal wrangles

    NEW DELHI: Not only has minimal action been taken on the Sam Pitroda Committee report of February 2014 to revitalise Prasar Bharati, the Department of Expenditure has expressed its inability to undertake the work of man power audit despite assurances in reply to several questions in the Parliament.

    Little or no action on manpower audit

    A Parliamentary Committee has now recommended that the terms for reference for conduct of manpower audit be worked out and the manpower audit which is critical to both All India Radio and Doordarshan completed within the current financial year 2017-18 as assured to the Committee.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology which also examines issues relating to Information and Broadcasting Ministry has noted that the Ministry had asked Prasar Bharati to prepare an action plan on the 26 recommendations of the Sam Pitroda Committee.

    The Parliamentary Committee has expressed concern that ‘there is no progress in the  on the issue of man power audit’.

    When Prasar Bharati was suggested to explore the feasibility of manpower audit through some reputed public/private agencies, the Internal Finance Division advised for pre-determination of terms of reference for conduct of manpower audit before inviting quotations from reputed audit organization.

    But the Committee noted that Prasar Bharati was yet to take a decision in the matter.

    “The Committee need not emphasise that manpower related issues have time and again affected the efficiency and performance of the organization. Prasar Bharati in order to achieve its vision and compete with private broadcasters needs to attract, retain and develop talent in the organization. It needs to respond to changing market conditions and make an assessment of its manpower requirement to overcome the competency gaps”, the Committee said.

    Transfer of AIR, DD assets to Prasar Bharati held up by legal wrangles

    Furthermore, Prasar Bharati has not provided complete inventorisation of assets with regard to the recommendation of transfer of assets. The Parliamentary Committee noted that the Ministry had advised Prasar Bharati to complete inventorisation of assets.

    The Ministry has recommended that the Law Ministry propose to issue notification whereby all the movable assets of AIR/DD may be transferred to Prasar Bharati on lease basis/non-alienable basis and all movable assets are so transferred without any restriction on availability or disposal.

    The Law Ministry’s Legislative Department has suggested that properties vested with the Central Government already stands transferred to Prasar Bharati with the commencement of the Prasar Bharati Act 1997 and there is no enabling provision to issue a notification for transfer of properties and assets which will dilute the provision of the Act.

    However, the Central Government may determine the terms and conditions of transfer of properties and assets which can be set by issue of an executive order.

    The Ministry has informed that the terms and conditions of transfer of properties and assets are being finalized in consultation with Department of Legal Affairs.

    The Committee is of the view that once Prasar Bharati owns its assets, it can go for selective monetisation of idle assets and generate much needed revenue. The Committee has recommended to the I and B Ministry to complete the exercise in a time bound manner and apprise them of the progress in the matter.