Governor to kick-start distribution from Srinagar on June 19
Step aimed at effectively countering Pak propaganda
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 13: Finally, residents of border areas of Jammu and Kashmir are all set to get free Set Top Boxes from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as the Governor Satya Pal Malik will kick start distribution from the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on June 19, 2019. This step will go a long way in effectively countering Pakistan’s malicious propaganda by expanding the Doordarshan’s terrestrial TV coverage.
The decision to distribute 30,000 Set Top Boxes of Doordarshan under its Free Dish Scheme among the inhabitants of border areas of Jammu and Kashmir was taken by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in consultation with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the middle of last year.
The broad objective behind this decision was to counter TV signal and malicious propaganda of the hostile neighbour and in the light of the fact that many border areas are still not covered by terrestrial transmission.
Vide communication dated August 14, 2018, the Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs informed Principal Secretary Home Department of the State about this decision and even asked for formulation of criteria/methodology for identification of the people living in the border areas to whom these Set Top Boxes would be distributed.
However, there was no prompt response from the State Government following which the Department of J&K Affairs in MHA vide communication dated September 19, 2018 again requested the Principal Secretary Home Department to take appropriate action in the matter before September 26, 2018. The dilly-dallying approach in the completion of all the formalities continued at different quarters till early this year and the same was exclusively highlighted by EXCELSIOR in its edition dated February 13, 2019.
The committees at the district, sub-division and tehsil levels have completed all the formalities and now targeted population of border areas will start getting free Set Top Boxes from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Governor Satya Pal Malik will kick start the distribution from SKICC on June 19, reads a communication of Home Department addressed to Additional Commissioners in the offices of Divisional Commissioners, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
Senior officers of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Doordarshan will also participate in the function
The Home Department has asked the Additional Commissioners in the offices of the Divisional Commissioners to ensure participation of eligible beneficiaries—three from each border district namely Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Leh and Kargil in the function.
The beneficiaries have been identified strictly keeping in view the criteria/methodology worked out by the Government and preference is being given to the households which are nearer to the International Border and Line of Control.
They disclosed that villages have been grouped in five categories on the basis of distance from the border with maximum distance of five kilometers. In the similar manner, the villages have been grouped in five sub-categories of one kilometer each up to five kilometers from the border. The first priority will be given to the beneficiaries living in the first prioritized village, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Union 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 is providing 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.
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