prasar bharati: Prasar Bharati to soon push for upgradation of transmitters along Pakistan, Nepal borders

All India Radio and Doordarshan are still considered as the most credible and trusted brands, and efforts will be made to further strengthen the two wings under the recently approved Broadcast Infrastructure Network Development (BIND) scheme, Gaurav Dwivedi said. The BIND scheme has an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore for the upgrade and expansion of broadcasting infrastructure till 2025-2026. The broadcaster will put in a mechanism to recruit more engineers, technicians and experts in production, as well as explore a mix of in-house and outside professionals to run the upgraded infrastructure.

It is also looking to launch its own video streaming, or OTT platform, in the coming months.

Under the new scheme, All India Radio’s FM coverage in the country is projected to increase from 58.83% to 66.29% in terms of geographical area. The aim is to enhance the FM reach to 63.02% from the existing 48.27% at the Indo-Nepal border and from 62% to 76% along the J&K border, Dwivedi said.

While Nepali FM channels are commonly heard in villages bordering the country, particularly in Uttarakhand, and are often sensitive content, the I&B ministry has also been keeping a close watch on the content put out by cable operators in J&K to ensure that unauthorised and anti-India programmes from Pakistan are not aired.

Dwivedi, a1995 batch IAS Officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre who took charge of the broadcaster in November, said border and remote areas are a priority in the network upgradation plan. Therefore, FM transmitters of 10 KW and higher capacities, besides over a hundred 100 W Transmitters, are being installed to increase FM coverage by more than 600,000 square kilometres, he said. Over 800,000 free DD DTH receiver sets would be distributed as part of the plan to widen Prasar Bharati’s reach in the Left-Wing Extremism-affected border and strategic areas, besides aspirational districts. To strengthen news gathering, the broadcaster will also look to rope in more correspondents. Over the last few years, there have been several vacancies for the posts of correspondents in Europe, Africa and the United States.