ITV

Tag: Prakash Javadekar

  • News Nation Sammelan: people’s sentiments of utmost importance, assert MPs of Modi 2.0 Govt

    News Nation Sammelan: people’s sentiments of utmost importance, assert MPs of Modi 2.0 Govt

    MUMBAI: After a landslide victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, several newly elected MPs attended News Nation’s prestigious Hamari Sansad Sammelan on June 21. From seasoned ministers such as Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Narendra Singh Tomar to first-time MPs Tejaswi Surya, Shankar Lalwani and Rajkumar Chahar, all the leaders stressed on the fact that the people’s mandate is most important for them and they understand their sentiments and would work accordingly. The highlight of the event was giant-killer Union Minister Smriti Irani’s grand finale session. 

    The Hamari Sansad Sammelan witnessed a fiery start with a debate between BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain and RJD’s Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. From Bihar’s Encephalitis deaths, the issue of black money to national security, the two engaged in a powerful discussion. 

    Another interesting session was that of the first-time MPs, where the BJP leaders revealed the roadmap for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court verdict. They reiterated the fact that they are committed to building the Ram Temple and stressed that there was no question of diluting or changing the party's stand. 

    Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, one of the key speakers at the Hamari Sansad Sammelan, said that no one can stop the construction of Ram Temple. Similarly, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Ram is part of Indian culture and saying 'Jai Shri Ram' not communal. 

    In the run-up of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the political dynasty had become a key issue, with all the mainstream political parties, including the BJP and the Congress accusing each other of giving casteism and dynasty politics to the country. Of the total 539 winners in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019, over 150 belong to some or the other powerful political family of the country. The third session of the Hamari Sansad Sammelan, BJP MPs Parvesh Verma and Ashok Kumar Yadav deliberated on the ongoing dynasty politics in Parliament. 

    Jaya Prada, the yesteryear’s movie star and politician, who lost her Lok Sabha battle to Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur took centrestage in the Session 4 and made stunning revelations about her struggles as a woman in Indian politics. Talking to News Nation’s Ajay Kumar, Jaya Prada broke down as she recalled her struggles with the moment when she wanted to commit suicide. Jaya Prada revealed that her then party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav “never bothered to call even once.” 
    Lauding Hamari Sansad, Jaya Prada said that, “I have come on a TV show for the first time after polls. Feeling proud to be on News Nation.” 

    In Session 5 of Hamari Sansad Sammelan, Minority Affairs Ministry Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said he will work with the mantra of “SabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas”, adding that priority will be given to “3Es”—education, employment and empowerment—for development of minorities. 

    From farmers' distress to the economic slowdown, the second term of Modi government has to tackle issues at a massive scale. In the 6th session, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar vowed to work for the welfare and development of the farmers in India. 

    Talking to News Nation’s Deepak Chaurasia during Hamari Sansad Sammelan’s Session 7, Prakash Javadekar said that India will be the fourth leading economy in the world. The statement comes at a time when there are reports coming in that Modi government has set up two Cabinet committees to deal with the two crucial issues. 

    In the recently concluded General elections, celebrity politics took centrestage with political parties banking on film stars and cricketers, who too tried their luck in the arena of politics. Session 8 had BJP winners Hans Raj Hans and Ravi Kishan speaking about what exactly is Modi magic and how it worked for them. 

    In the grand finale Session 9 of the Hamari Sansad Sammelan, Smriti Irani, talking to News Nation’s Deepak Chaurasia, said that the BJP convinced Amethi about true path of development. Taking a dig at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and talking about her spectacular success in Amethi, Irani said that, “Amethi kijantajeeti, Smriti Irani nahi. 

    Speaking about the massive success of the Hamari Sansad Sammelan, Abhay Ojha, President – Sales & Marketing News Nation Network said, “Giant-slayer of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections Smriti Irani exclusively came for the News Nation event. This is a big thing for our channel. We are now going to organise a Budget conclave and I am sure it will be as successful as this.”

  • DD Free Dish has 3.5 crore subscribers: Prakash Javadekar

    DD Free Dish has 3.5 crore subscribers: Prakash Javadekar

    MUMBAI: Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Saturday stated that DD Free Dish was the biggest direct-to-home (DTH) operator in the country with 3.5 crore connections.

    "There are five to six major operators and they put together have 5.5 crore connections. The biggest DTH operator in the country is Doordarshan with 3.5 crore DTH connections where we are giving free Dish," he said.

    The minister also added that India will soon become the largest country in the world where every household has a television set.

    "There is a new dream that every household will have a TV in the coming years. There are 25 crore households in India and 18 crore have a TV set. There are still seven crore households without a TV," Javadekar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

    Javadekar made the comments during a program to launch distribution of Free Dish set top boxes in Kashmir. On the occasion, a signature tune for Doordarshan's satellite channel for Jammu and Kashmir DD Kashir too was unveiled.

    "Today, we are making a small beginning in which we are giving set top boxes of free Dish TV for people living in far-flung areas and to poor people. However, as soon as our economy develops people will buy a TV as soon as they are able to address the six basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education and livelihood," the Minister explained.

    Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said free DTH connections will help in flow of information in regions that are not well connected.

    "People in border areas will get some relief. They will get an avenue of entertainment and the information that should reach them," Singh said.

    The Lok Sabha MP from Udhampur said the Dogri bulletin on DD Kashir satellite channel was a long pending demand of people in Jammu.

    "Steps have been taken for promotion of Kashmiri language from time to time but similar steps for Dogri were delayed. Both Kashmiri and Dogri are rich but underrated languages," he said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said the distribution of Free Dish STBs would also prevent people from falling prey to fake news and false propaganda.

  • Free DD Free Dish STBs distributed in J&K

    Free DD Free Dish STBs distributed in J&K

    MUMBAI: Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate and Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar and Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North East Region; Minister of State PMO; Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space Jitendra Singh on Saturday launched a spectrum of initiatives for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    In a vibrant launch ceremony held at SKICC, Srinagar Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik and both the ministers in presence of other dignitaries distributed Doordarshan’s Free Dish Set Top Boxes (STBs) in Jammu and Kashmir besides launching half an hour Dogri programme and News Bulletin from DD Kashir and the signature tune of the channel.

    The STBs will be provided free of cost and the audience will be able to view 100 channels for free.

    Addressing the gathering, Javadekar appreciated the efforts of the MIB especially Doordarshan for reaching out to the public in border areas to disseminate the message of information, education and entertainment.

    He said that after the basic necessities, information and entertainment are the most important needs of the people and the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all the steps to reach out to the people to ensure these facilities.

    Lauding the role of All India Radio, the minister said that PM Modi has very ably utilised the services of such medium through Mann Ki Baat which has now become very popular.

    Javadekar said that Doordarshan and All India Radio have credibility which gives these channels an edge over the others who sometimes get carried away with rumours. Doordarshan is an institution of trust, he further added.

    MoS PMO Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts taken by Doordarshan to reach out to the people throughout the country. The launch of Dogri programme and news bulletin will go a long way in bringing sense of pride and oneness among the people. He termed Doordarshan as a single channel that can bring hearts together.

    Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Satya Pal Malik while addressing the audience said that the people living in border areas will surely get benefitted with this initiative. The problems of the youth of the state need to be addressed in order to bring in peace and prosperity in the region. He impressed upon Doordarshan and All India Radio to keep spreading out to the remotest of corners to provide information to the last mile.

    Chairman, Prasar Bharati A Surya Prakash, while addressing the audience highlighted the qualities of DD Free Dish DTH and termed it as the tools of empowerment. He laid emphasis on the commitment of the Government to bring peace and prosperity across the region.

    Secretary, Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare, director general, Doordarshan Supriya Sahu, chief secretary, Government of Jammu and Kashmir BVR Subrahmanyam and other State and Central Government officials were also present on the occasion.

    The news bulletin will be telecast daily at 6 pm on DD Kashir in digital mode. The signature tune, which resonates with the spirit of the valley, has been composed by Rahul Sharma.

  • 32 free DTH educational channels on Dish TV & FreeDish start functioning

    NEW DELHI: Thirty-two direct-to-home educational channels under the name Swayam Prabha were formally launched during the weekend to telecast high-quality educational content free of charge.

    Launching the channels which will be beamed via the GSAT-15 satellite transponders and will shortly be available both on Dish TV as well as Doordarshan’s FreeDish, President Pranab Mukherjee said the use of satellite technology to reach the unreached is time-tested. He was happy to note that the scale and reach of this technology has been raised manifold through the 32 Swayam Prabha DTH channels. These channels will help students in the rural areas and in the remote areas where IT infrastructure have not penetrated so well.

    These channels transmit four hours of fresh content every day, and contain lectures from the best teachers in the country. There is no monthly charge for viewing these channels. These channels include the IIT-PAL channels which were intended to help students taking the prestigious JEE examination, taught by the IIT faculty.

    In a function organised on the eve of the Guru Poornima, a day for salutation to teachers, the President also launched the Swayam portal that has become fully functional.

    The portal enables one to take courses offered by the best teachers, remaining where they are. Swayam should be a call to the pioneers amongst teachers to put new courses in the upcoming areas on this platform in the MOOCs format. It is also a call to the other teachers to use this material and improve their own teaching capacity. Ultimately, it should lead to better attainment levels in the students.

    With the launch of Swayam, India has become one of the few countries in the world which has its own online interactive learning platform that provides not only video lectures and reading material, but also assignments/quizzes that could end up in securing credits after completing the assessment system. More than 400 Courses are available on Swayam covering all the engineering and non-engineering subjects at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The University Grants Commission has already issued Regulation that allows transfer of credits earned through the courses done through Swayam into the academic record of the students. It is now possible for the students and others to take courses of the prestigious IITs or IIMs without formally studying there. The platform has been constructed by Microsoft with totally indigenous efforts.

    Mukherjee also launched the National Academic Depository at the National Convention on Digital Initiatives organized by Ministry of Human Resource Development in New Delhi.

    Speaking on the occasion, the president said the spread of technology, telecom penetration and internet has offered an opportunity to quell the divide in terms of access and quality. Digital technology enables good teachers to directly teach large number of students who are not physically present in classes. ICT solutions offer an interactive learning experience through which students in remote parts of the country can benefit from lectures of the top teachers. The digital modes are cheaper, more easily accessible, interactive, and offer flexibility for people to learn at their own pace. We need to work together to ensure that they are widely adopted for teaching.

    The president said that the National Academic Depository would help in easy authentication of the credentials issued by the institutions. This would also help in increasing transparency and ease of operation. The several other digital initiatives taken up under the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) being showcased today should help all in going the digital way in order to improve the quality of teaching.

    He said during the last five years, he had been emphasizing on improving the quality of education whenever he met Vice Chancellors of central universities, Directors of IITs, NITs and IISc/ IISERs. The conferences at Rashtrapati Bhavan have also acted as platforms for nurturing ideas. Many initiatives and ideas like the GIAN, IMPRINT and GRIN have taken root here. He called upon participants present there to ensure that these initiatives are taken to their logical conclusion for the benefit of the nation.

    Human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar and MoS Mahendra Nath Pandey were also present on the occasion.

    The president has expressed hope that these digital initiatives would help in producing the highly qualified youth required for the Make in India campaign. He exhorted all the higher educational institution to march on the path of educational excellence consisting of creation of new knowledge and dissemination of the same for the benefit of the nation. It was an emotional moment for the president since many of these initiatives have taken shape under his guidance as visitor of these institutions.

  • No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had so far failed to come out with specifications with regard to interoperability of STBs (set-top boxes) meant for DTH (direct-to-home) platforms.

    An information and broadcasting ministry source was answering a question by indiantelevision.com in response to a reply in the Parliament given by the minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore.

    The minister had said the ministry had accepted recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that it should work with the BIS and the Department of Electronics and IT to ensure such set-top boxes.

    TRAI, in July 2014, on “Issues relating to New DTH Licenses” said: “The Open Architecture (Non-proprietary) Set Top Box (STB), which will ensure technical compatibility and effective interoperability among different DTH service providers, shall have such specifications as laid down by the Government from time to time” with “The Set Top Box offered by a DTH service provider shall have such specifications as laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) from time to time.”

    TRAI recommended that BIS should come out with updated specifications for STBs from time to time and while doing so, BIS will consult TRAI and that the license conditions should mandate the licensee to comply with the tariff order/scheme prescribed by TRAI for commercial interoperability.

    In the paper, the Authority had said that STB interoperability was not possible because of the different technologies adopted by the operators due to them entering the market at different times. TRAI thus asked the BIS to regularly keep updating the standard of STB technology.

    Then I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar had told the Parliament on 24 July 2014 that the interoperability of DTH customer premises equipment has not so far proved to be effective due to various techno-economic reasons. The interoperability had been envisaged in the DTH licence conditions, he said.

    The portability in DTH service can be achieved through technical interoperability or through commercial interoperability.

  • No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    No BIS specification yet for interoperable DTH boxes

    NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had so far failed to come out with specifications with regard to interoperability of STBs (set-top boxes) meant for DTH (direct-to-home) platforms.

    An information and broadcasting ministry source was answering a question by indiantelevision.com in response to a reply in the Parliament given by the minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore.

    The minister had said the ministry had accepted recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that it should work with the BIS and the Department of Electronics and IT to ensure such set-top boxes.

    TRAI, in July 2014, on “Issues relating to New DTH Licenses” said: “The Open Architecture (Non-proprietary) Set Top Box (STB), which will ensure technical compatibility and effective interoperability among different DTH service providers, shall have such specifications as laid down by the Government from time to time” with “The Set Top Box offered by a DTH service provider shall have such specifications as laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) from time to time.”

    TRAI recommended that BIS should come out with updated specifications for STBs from time to time and while doing so, BIS will consult TRAI and that the license conditions should mandate the licensee to comply with the tariff order/scheme prescribed by TRAI for commercial interoperability.

    In the paper, the Authority had said that STB interoperability was not possible because of the different technologies adopted by the operators due to them entering the market at different times. TRAI thus asked the BIS to regularly keep updating the standard of STB technology.

    Then I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar had told the Parliament on 24 July 2014 that the interoperability of DTH customer premises equipment has not so far proved to be effective due to various techno-economic reasons. The interoperability had been envisaged in the DTH licence conditions, he said.

    The portability in DTH service can be achieved through technical interoperability or through commercial interoperability.

  • DTH channels being launched by September to impart education: Javadekar

    DTH channels being launched by September to impart education: Javadekar

    NEW DELHI: Even as there is little possibility of Gyan Darshan getting revived on the television screen, 32 Direct to Home (DTH) Television Channels are to be used for providing high quality educational content to all teachers, students and citizens across the country interested in lifelong learning.

    The 32 channels are proposed to be launched before September 2016. Initially the programmes will be in English but with the passage of time the programmes will be launched in regional languages as well.

    Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar told the Lok Sabha today that the Government has approved a project to launch the ‘SWAYAM Prabha.’ There will be new content of four hours every day, which would be telecast six times a day allowing the student to choose the time of his/her convenience.

    The main features of SWAYAM Prabha would be curriculum based course contents covering diverse disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities subjects, engineering, technology, law, medicine, agriculture etc.

    It would also cover all level of education: School education, undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering, out of school children, vocational courses and teacher training.

    Gyan Darshan and Gyan Vani had been stopped on Doordarshan and All India Radio respectively when the Indira Gandhi National Open University failed to clear huge dues to the pubcaster for these channels.

    However, these channels were later launched on the web, which was felt to be a bad alternative as the majority did not have access to internet.

    IGNOU owed more than Rs 21.6 crore to All India Radio when it was shut on 30 September after the university failed to pay the outstanding dues for three years (for their 37 stations).

    Gyan Darshan had been stopped even earlier in the beginning of 2014. It was also learnt byindiantelevision.com that IGNOU had applied to WPC for a licence to run television channels, but had been refused by the Department of Telecom which had told them that only Doordarshan can apply for such a channel. DD had refused to apply for the channel on behalf of IGNOU in view of the report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India which bars allotment of licences to government bodies to start their own channels.

  • DTH channels being launched by September to impart education: Javadekar

    DTH channels being launched by September to impart education: Javadekar

    NEW DELHI: Even as there is little possibility of Gyan Darshan getting revived on the television screen, 32 Direct to Home (DTH) Television Channels are to be used for providing high quality educational content to all teachers, students and citizens across the country interested in lifelong learning.

    The 32 channels are proposed to be launched before September 2016. Initially the programmes will be in English but with the passage of time the programmes will be launched in regional languages as well.

    Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar told the Lok Sabha today that the Government has approved a project to launch the ‘SWAYAM Prabha.’ There will be new content of four hours every day, which would be telecast six times a day allowing the student to choose the time of his/her convenience.

    The main features of SWAYAM Prabha would be curriculum based course contents covering diverse disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities subjects, engineering, technology, law, medicine, agriculture etc.

    It would also cover all level of education: School education, undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering, out of school children, vocational courses and teacher training.

    Gyan Darshan and Gyan Vani had been stopped on Doordarshan and All India Radio respectively when the Indira Gandhi National Open University failed to clear huge dues to the pubcaster for these channels.

    However, these channels were later launched on the web, which was felt to be a bad alternative as the majority did not have access to internet.

    IGNOU owed more than Rs 21.6 crore to All India Radio when it was shut on 30 September after the university failed to pay the outstanding dues for three years (for their 37 stations).

    Gyan Darshan had been stopped even earlier in the beginning of 2014. It was also learnt byindiantelevision.com that IGNOU had applied to WPC for a licence to run television channels, but had been refused by the Department of Telecom which had told them that only Doordarshan can apply for such a channel. DD had refused to apply for the channel on behalf of IGNOU in view of the report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India which bars allotment of licences to government bodies to start their own channels.

  • Female artists should be groomed to take up non-conventional roles: M&E experts

    Female artists should be groomed to take up non-conventional roles: M&E experts

    NEW DELHI: The advancement in technology has made it possible to essay any kind of role in the media and entertainment industry but there is need for proper grooming and training of females in various non-conventional roles in the industry.

     

    This was the general view at a discussion on “An equal space: Gender parity in media and entertainment sector” held here by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in partnership with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and ASSOCHAM.

     

    The participants felt that technology and digitisation has changed the scenario – for example, equipments were now lightweight as compared to the earlier times and women are entering into various roles like make-up artists, stuntwomen etc.

     

    In his inaugural address, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the world had lost a lot by not giving women equal opportunities and not recognising their talent.

     

    The Minister emphasised that women have qualities like compassion, conviction, consistency and courage which are their unique strengths. There is no difference between men and women in terms of capabilities and men need to be sensitised regarding their attitude towards women, he added. 

     

    NCW chairperson Lalitha Kumara Mangalam said even today, an invisible barrier exists in the media and entertainment industry where women do not get equal opportunities. She said various factors like lack of training and lack of family support are responsible for this situation. “The percentage of women working in this sector is also very low. Even today people do not find this sector as a good place to work,” she added. 

     

    Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy opined that women should be portrayed as empowered characters in the films to send the right message to society. “Female artistes should be encouraged to participate in non-conventional roles in films, which help to eliminate misconception of the entertainment industry being projected as biased,” he added. 

     

    The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions. Deliberations were held on various issues such as equal opportunity for women in media and entertainment, enabling and empowering women at M&E workplace and skill and capacity building.

     

    It was noted that the news industry has much more presence of women as compared to their male counterparts, the participants opined but a lot needs to be done to encourage women to join this sector and establish themselves into the system. 

     

    Personalities related to the M&E industry like actor and director Rajat Kapoor, actresses Divya Dutta and Rajeshwari Sachdev also participated in the seminar. Senior Advocate and Additional Solicitor General of India Pinky Anand, Indian Institute of Mass Communications DG Sunit Tandon, former I&B Ministry director (Films) Nirupama Kotru, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) MD Nina Lath Gupta, and senior journalist Rahul Kanwal, amongst others were panelists in the discussion. 

  • NDTV & Philips present ‘Breathe Clean Conclave’ 2015

    NDTV & Philips present ‘Breathe Clean Conclave’ 2015

    MUMBAI: India is home to 6 of the world’s most polluted cities, and the air we are breathing causes more deaths than tobacco smoking or poor nutrition. Indoor air is 2 to 5 times worse than outside air. It is toxic for our children and families, causing cancers, reduced life expectancy, lung damage and air borne allergies.

     

    Inhaling pollutant air takes away atleast 1-2 years of a typical human life. In an effort to highlight this critical national issue and recommend possible solutions, NDTV and Philipshosted the ‘Breathe Clean Conclave 2015’ today at Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi. Actor Soha Ali Khan also extended her support for the initiative.

     

    The conclave began with an opening keynote address by  Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge)  and was attended by leading medical practitioners, environmentalists, NGOs and concerned citizen and parent groups. The two panel discussions held as part of the Breathe Clean Conclave focused on Breathe Clean- Act for Better Air and Indoor Air Quality and Children’s Health.

     

    Inaugurating the conclave, Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge) said, “I am really happy that NDTV has taken this initiative because I feel media houses can make people aware and also help tackle issues. At the outset, I must say we have a problem as any other city in the world and this is because of growing population, growing density and growing rate of urbanization. Delhi air has gone bad in the last 8-10 years and if media would have started a campaign earlier it could have worked faster. We must create awareness of more ventilation, more plantation and more education to address this issue. I want to launch Fresh Air – My birth right campaign to help address this problem.”

     

    Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Vikram Chandra, Group CEO of NDTV said, “The health and economic impact of pollution is worrying and with the rising vehicular and industrial pollution, this national issue is only going to get worse. NDTV believes that clean air should be a basic human right. Through this conclave, we hope to give experts as well as citizens a platform to suggest recommendations to the government, as well as motivate people to take action at an individual level.”

     

    Krishna Kumar, Managing Director and Vice President, Philips India, said, “The rising toll of deteriorating quality of air is becoming a household concern. A lot more potent than outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution is increasingly being recognized as a threat. We, at Philips, recognize this challenge and are committed to deliver a healthier lifestyle for our consumers through meaningful innovations. Breathe Clean Campaign is an initiative to help consumers and institutions recognize the need to switch to healthier lifestyle practices. Since clean air has become a rarity, Philips is constantly innovating to bring about freedom from indoor air pollution.”

     

    Soha Ali Khan, Actor, also voiced her concern and said, “It is alarming that the very air we are breathing can be so harmful to our health. I was shocked to find out that air pollution levels inside our homes can be twice as high as those outside. This is an issue that demands our immediate attention and I am happy to be associated with NDTV’s Breathe Clean Conclave, a platform dedicated to finding solutions to this crisis affecting all of us – especially children and the elderly.”

     

    Moderated by Vikram Chandra, the first session had an eminent list of panelists including Soha Ali Khan, Actor; Prof Sanjay Zodpey, Vice President, Academics, Public Health foundation of India ; A Krishna Kumar, MD and CEO, Philips India; Dr Gary Stutte, Senior Scientist, NASA; Parthaa Bosu, India Director and South Asia Liaison, Clean Air Asia; Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director – Research and Advocacy , Centre for Science and Environment; Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, MP, Odisha and Dr Randeep Guleria, Head of the Department of Pulmonology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences who shared their insights on how we can contribute for better clean air.

     

    The second discussion focused on the health impact of air pollution on children and was moderated by NDTV’s Ravish Kumar. The panel included Jayati Singh, Director and Business: Head Health and Wellness and Air, Philips Consumer Lifestyle; Kunal Kohli, Director and Concerned Parent; Dr Vivek Nangia, Pulmonologist, Fortis Hospital; Sushma Paul Berlia, Apeejay Stya & Svran Group, Barun Aggarwal, Breathe Easy and Dr Randeep Guleria, Head of the Department of Pulmonology, All India Institute ofMedical Sciences.

     

    The closing key note address was delivered by Prof Sanjay Zodpey, Vice President, Academics, Public Health foundation of India.The key takeaways from the sessions were presented to Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar as recommendations for a clean air future.