The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved a plan worth more than Rs 2,500 crore for Doordarshan and All India Radio in an effort to modernise Prasar Bharati’s broadcast network and infrastructure.
Anurag Thakur, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, unveiled the CCEA-approved Central Sector Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) programme, with an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore through 2025–26.
“The BIND scheme is the vehicle for providing financial support to Prasar Bharati for expenses related to expansion and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure, content development and civil work related to the organization,” the I&B Ministry said in a statement. “Prasar Bharati played a stellar role in communicating health messages and awareness to the public during the Covid pandemic.”
With stronger infrastructure, the public broadcaster will be able to upgrade its facilities significantly, expanding its reach to include border and strategic areas and LWE (Left Wing Extremism) hotspots while offering viewers high-quality programming. This will be made possible by the BIND project. The project will also include the purchase of OB vans and the digital upgrade of DD and AIR studios to make them HD-ready.
Thakur said that the scheme envisions how Doordarshan should be 20 years from now. “Prasar Bharti is the public broadcaster…it is not just about profit making. The aim is to ensure information regarding government’s work and schemes reaches people. Different reports have pointed at the quality of content, whether it is Doordarshan or AIR,” said Thakur.
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