MHA writes to Home Secy, seeks relevant information
DCs directed to immediately identify 30,000 households
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 24: In order to effectively counter malicious propaganda from across the border, the Union Government has decided to distribute 30,000 Set Top Boxes (STBs) of Doordarshan under its Free Dish Scheme among the people living in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that as desired by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is regularly strengthening and expanding Doordarshan’s television coverage in border areas of the country to effectively counter TV signal of hostile neighbor.
In this regard, special schemes for expansion and improvement of Doordarshan services in the border areas particularly in Jammu and Kashmir have been formulated from time to time and at present large number of TV transmitters of varying power are functioning in the border districts.
“For those areas which are not covered by terrestrial transmission the Government of India has decided to provide multi-channel TV coverage through Doordarshan’s Free to Air DTH Service”, sources said while disclosing that DD Free Dish signals can be received anywhere in the country including border areas with the help of small sized dish receiver units called Set Top Boxes.
It has now been decided by the Union Government to widen the ambit of DD Free Dish Scheme particularly in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir so as to counter TV signal and malicious propaganda of the hostile neighbor and the same has been communicated to the J&K Government by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, sources informed.
Sunil Kumar, Under Secretary in the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the recent past convened to the Principal Secretary to J&K Government Home Department that under DD Free Dish Scheme of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Directorate General Doordarshan would distribute around 30,000 Set Top Boxes free of cost amongst the people living in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The households having these STBs will have access to DD Free Dish on which all the Doordarshan channels including DD Kashir and a few other channels will be available free of cost”, read the communication the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
The MHA has asked the J&K Government to work out a mechanism for hassle free distribution of these Set Top Boxes among the border dwellers in consultation with the respective district administration. “The formulation of distribution criteria/methodology would help in speedy and proper distribution among the beneficiaries”, the Under Secretary Department of J&K Affairs has mentioned in the communication.
Acting on the communication of MHA, the State Home Department has asked both the Divisional Commissioners to submit distribution mechanism at the earliest so that the same is timely communicated to the Union Government for start of distribution of free Set Top Boxes.
Keeping in view urgency shown by the Union Government, the Divisional Commissioners have sought relevant information from the Deputy Commissioners of all the border districts.
“You are requested to formulate criteria/methodology for identification of people living in the border areas to whom these Set Top Boxes will be distributed and mechanism for distribution of the same as requested by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A copy of the criteria shall be furnished to this office so that same be sent to the Principal Secretary to Government, State Home Department for further submission to the Department of J&K Affairs in the Ministry of Home Affairs”, read the Communication No. 301/893/Border/18/1397-1401 dated October 16, 2018 of the Divisional Commissioner Jammu’s office to the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
It is pertinent to mention here that for further strengthening of Doordarshan terrestrial TV coverage, projects to set up more High Power TV transmitters in J&K have been approved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
As far as All India Radio is concerned, a number of high power transmitters have already been set up at various locations which are capable of broadcasting programmes across borders aimed at countering Pakistan propaganda.
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