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MAJOR DECISIONS AND INITIATIVES
INFORMATION & BROADCASTING
The UPA Government completes one year on May 21, 2005. During this period, the Government has taken several important initiatives. Some of these are being brought out in the series ‘Major Decisions and Initiatives’.
One year of the UPA regime saw unparallel growth of the Media. With opening of up linking facilities for private media, nearly 150 channels have hence been registered for uplinking from Indian soil. The year saw top priority being accorded to the dissemination of information in the field of Employment generation, poverty alleviation, health, women and child development, food and nutrition and other issues relating to the Common Minimum Programme. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is providing requisite publicity for the schemes and policies as envisaged in NCMP. These include publicity campaigns on important issues such as health, education, social welfare, rural development, etc. on behalf of the respective administrative Ministries/Departments on the basis of inputs provided by them.
Direct-to-Home (DTH) Service Launched
The Direct-to-Home TV channels became a reality with the Prime Minister launching the Ku band transmission of “DD Direct plus” on December 16, 2004. As a result, 30 free-to-air TV channels, 14 channels of private broadcasters and 12 AIR channels have become available throughout the country except Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Ten thousand dish receive units are being provided in the uncovered villages of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh & North Eastern States. Out of these 10,000 dish receive units 7632 units have already been installed.
Dedicated DD Channels for Parliament
Doordarshan launched two new dedicated channels in collaboration with Lok Sabha Secretariat to telecast live the whole Parliamentary proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha through LPTs. A dedicated educational channel EDUSAT in collaboration with ISRO has been launched. The channel will telecast educational programmes co-produced/acquired from NCERT/SIET/CIET, etc.
Digitisation
Seven major studio centers at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkatta & Central Production Centre (CPC), Delhi have been made fully digital. In addition, eight small studio centers at Jammu, Daltonganj, Gangtok, Panaji, Raipur, Gulbarga, Pondicherry & Port Blair have been partially digitalised.
Improved Transmission Facilities
Agriculture broadcast received a shot in the arm with the launch of dedicated agricultural channel. Presently, ‘Kisan Vani’ is being broadcast from 96 AIR stations.
Captive Earth Stations with digital uplink capabilities are being provided in the AIR network. During the period, such facilities have been provided at AIR, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal and Ahmedabad.
A new state-of-the-art 100 KW MW transmitter has been installed in place of the existing old transmitter at Shillong, Cuddappah and Shimla. It will help in ensuring trouble free quality reception to the listener.
Regulatory Body to Monitor Content on TV
The issue relating to the content in broadcast remained paramount with the Ministry. A meeting of the stakeholders on broadcast content was held in February. The issues pertaining to the content shown in the Television channels were discussed at length. The conference was unanimous in its decision to set up a quasi-Judicial autonomous body to regulate content on television channels.
SIMCON-XXV
The State Information Ministers Conference - SIMCON-XXV - was organised by the Ministry after a gap of four years. All States reached a consensus on core issues like rationalisation of Entertainment Tax, issues related to piracy and the need to tackle them within the existing provisions of Law, sensitisation of the States on contents of Television Channels and their regulation, registration of cable operators, promotion of DTH services. All the States agreed to make SIMCON an annual feature with officials meeting twice in a year to coordinate implementation of the decisions.
Special Efforts to Reach Out to J&K and NE
Special attention was given towards reaching out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the North East during the year. To bring children of these areas closer to the mainstream, Children’s Film Society of India organised a film festival in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from Children’s Film Festival, another Film Festival was organised in Srinagar to promote films in the area, which received a very enthusiastic response from the people. A film festival targeting the North East was organised in Agartala, Tripura.
A new Relay Station was commissioned at Kupwara to strengthen radio coverage in the border areas of J&K.
Continuing with the programme to reach out to the people of the North East, Indian Institute of Mass Communication in collaboration with Nagaland University started a PG diploma course in mass communication with signing of a MoU and admitting 18 students in the first batch.
Evolving Improved Media Relations with the World
Communication has always been the key to dissolving borders and continuing with the Government’s initiative of better relationship with its neighbours, the second SAARC Editors’ Conference took place in New Delhi in October 2004. The Conference called for better and stronger cooperation among the media in the SAARC nations to act as a catalyst in eliminating poverty and other social evils from the region.
A meeting of the Group of Experts on the establishment of the SAARC Media Development Fund, the first of its type, was organised in New Delhi. Taking the initiative ahead, the Indian delegation lead by the Secretary, Information & Broadcasting attended the SAARC Information Ministers’ Conference in Islamabad in December 2004.
The Indo-Pak relationship reached a new high when an agreement was signed between the Chandigarh Press Club and the Lahore Press Club for initiation of a regular interaction process.
India and Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Information and Broadcasting to cooperate and expand ties in areas covering radio, television, films and exchange of journalists.
Reaching out to the Affected during Tsunami
When the Tsunami tragedy struck the Southern part of India, the Ministry and its media units played a key role in disseminating critical information in the affected areas. It was Doordarshan, which was the first to bring visuals of the earthquake and Tsunami. All Stations of All India Radio in the Southern States and the East Coast including the Andaman&Nicobar Islands were continuously broadcasting programmes regarding the developing situation in the affected areas based on live inputs by the concerned District and State Authorities. AIR/Doordarshan stations were also broadcasting information about relief measures, helplines and measures to combat epidemics. PIB started media facilitation-cum- information centers in the affected areas. Briefings were arranged every day and communication channels were kept open almost round-the-clock for informing the press about the steps taken by the Group of Ministers (GoM) and the Crisis Management Group (CMG) for a fortnight after the Tsunami. Media was also conducted to the Tsunami-affected areas.
IT Measures for Better Communication
PIB stepped up the use of information technology by launching intra-PIB, intranet on a highly interactive platform, for better communication with field offices and to serve as a tool for professional activities. PIB’s main website, pib.nic.in, posts information in English, Hindi and Urdu. The Chennai and Aizawl offices have launched their own websites in Tamil and Mizo respectively. All other field offices of PIB are in the process of launching sister websites, which will provide information also in regional languages.
The Registrar of Newspapers for India launched an online list of Certificates of Registration issued to newspaper publishers on its web-site www.rni.nic.in. The list indicates the Certificate of Registration issued from October 2004 and is being updated regularly. It gives details such as title of the newspaper/periodical, language of publication, periodicity, place from which it is published, registration number and name of publisher. This is a step in the direction of promoting transparency.
Media Facilitation
In the last one year, the Press Information Bureau issued 54,338 press releases and 4,077 features including illustrated features. As many as 1,543 public functions were given photo-coverage by the Photo Unit of the Bureau, and 2,022 photos released. Over one-lakh photo prints were distributed to the Press. About 4,200 subscribers to PIB’s e-mail service received the information material through automated e-mails.
PIB organised 914 press conferences during the last one year. PIB also organised workshops on various issues ranging from female foeticide and rural development to ‘internet’. The Bureau conducted over a hundred press tours from Delhi and other stations to publicise major events, and highlight government initiatives and progress achieved in different fields. Among the places to which press tours were taken are tribal areas including the North-East, Jammu & Kashmir, A&N Islands, remote defence locations and infrastructure projects.
An Economic Editors’ Conference was organised, in November 2004, after a gap of three years, to explain Government’s position on various economic issues. It was attended by thirteen Union Ministers and Secretaries of the economic and infrastructure Ministries and over 350 economic editors and financial writers from all over the country. The Fifth Editors’ Conference on Social Sector Issues was attended by more than 200 editors/senior journalists from different parts of the country. Union Ministers and Secretaries of 12 key Ministries in the social sector interacted with the media.
PIB opened media facilitation centres to provide information on the launch of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service at Srinagar; at Goa for the International Film Festival and Mumbai for the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas events.
Preserving Nation’s History & Culture
The Publications Division has brought out books like the World of Ezra Mir, Indian Railways-Glorious 150 years, Guru Nanak Se Guru Granth Sahib Tak, Gandhi-A Pictorial Biography. The Division has completed four multi-media interactive CDs on subjects of culture and heritage monuments. Three CDs on world heritage monuments, Brihadeshwara Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, Sanchi Stupa; Qutab; and Mehrauli Complex have also been completed. Similarly, a CD on Indian Paintings covering pre-historic to modern period has also been completed.
Message of Dandi March Taken to Masses
As part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s historic Dandi March, various media units organised a number of special functions. The Films Division released a DVD of the film on Dandi Yatra entitled “The Great Salt March”. The Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity put up an exhibition on the freedom struggle. The Directorate of Field Publicity organised competitions, rallies and public meetings to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee.
RK:LV
PIB SF-51 (17.5.2005)
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