ROUND THE CLOCK KASHIR CHANNEL
FROM 15th AUGUST
The Kashir Channel
of Doordarshan would become a 24-hour channel from 15th
August, this year. The channel launched on Republic Day 2000,
at present telecasts 14-1/2 hours of programmes daily. Out of
these 14-1/2 hours, the commissioned programmes account for 6
hours, another 4.30 hours are taken by in-house and news/current
affairs programmes while archival programmes take 4 hours daily.
The special audience programmes cover Gojri, Pahari, Ladakhi,
Dogri, Sheena, Balti, Pushtu, Bhadarwahi and Punjabi audiences.
At a meeting
to review the progress of the Special J&K Package, the Minister
of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad was
informed that the project is nearing completion and Rs. 256.36
crore out of an outlay of Rs. 379.63 have been spent. 975 programmes
have been commissioned so far. Some of the current affairs programmes
like Date Line Kashmir, Kashmir Now, Kashmir Nama, Pakistan Reporter,
Sarhad Ke Do Rukh, PTV Sach Kya Hai and Pukhta Saboot are very
popular. Commissioned programmes include serials on children,
woman, youth, sports, career counseling etc.
Out of the 112
infra-structural projects envisaged, 109 have already been commissioned.
The completed projects include HPT Srinagar, 12 LPTS, 60 VLPTS,
upgradation of 8 VLPTS, 10 maintenance centres, 2 DSNGs and a
studio at Leh. Three satellite uplinks at Srinagar, Jammu and
Leh have been commissioned, HPT at Poonch for DD-2 commissioned
and interim set up also commissioned for DD-1&2 at Naushera,
Gurez, Samba and Kupwara. At Tithwal, interim set up is expected
to be completed by June this year.
The strengthening
of the DD transmitters and other infrastructure has not only extended
DD coverage to the far flung and inaccessible areas within J&K
but also extended coverage to large areas in Pakistan and the
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir countering the propaganda from across
the border. The improvement, both in the content and infrastructure
has helped in focusing on the foreign mercenaries fighting a war
as profession, highlighting the negative effects of militancy
in Kashmir and its fall out, rich and established secular principles
of India and J&K and India’s inherent unity in diversity besides
providing healthy entertainment.
