Srinagar, June 22 (KNO) : Governor Satya Pal Malik distributed DD Free Dish Set Top Boxes among identified beneficiaries here today at an impressive function held at SKICC, Srinagar. A total of 30,000 DD Free Dish Set Top Boxes are being distributed by Information and Broadcasting Ministry in the State.
On the occasion, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who was present as Guest of Honour, launched the Signature tune of DD Kashir composed by Rahul Sharma which resonates with the cultural ethos of the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North East Region; MoS Prime Minister’s Office launched the Dogri News Bulletin which will be aired at 6:15 pm everyday on DD Kashir.
During his address, Governor congratulated the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for taking the initiative of reaching out to the people through Free Dish receivers. Governor observed that the today’s event marks a significant milestone for making a head start towards achieving the goal of reaching out to the people living in the far flung and border areas through the platform of DD Free Dish. He said that through these set top boxes, authentic information will be disseminated to the border residents where connectivity has always remained an issue.
Governor observed that Doordarshan has truly lived up to the responsibility bestowed upon it and the Kendra at Srinagar has been performing its duties despite many challenges. It is playing an important role by representing the local culture through its programmes and reaching the people with unbiased information, he added.
Governor noted that DD Kashir has become popular in the state because of its good content and adding programmes in Dogri and Ladakhi languages will strengthen the composite culture of the state. Underscoring the importance of public outreach, Governor appreciated the officers of the State Administration for reaching out to the rural population through the “Back to Village” programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Praksh Javadekar said that the Doordarshan is a credible source of information besides being the biggest Direct To Home (DTH) Operator that connects millions of people across the country. Javadekar informed that from today DTH set top boxes shall be distributed free under a scheme across the country.
The Union Minister said that Information and Entertainment have become the basic requirement in day to day life and free DTH set top boxes will prove to be vital in meeting the aspirations of the people especially those living in border areas.
There are 25 crore households in the country with 18 crore TV sets and this initiative will also help in bridging the gap, he maintained. He also congratulated the entire DD Kashir team for gaining popularity in the State. Dr. Jitendra Singh, while speaking on the occasion, stressed on developing and promoting regional languages. He stressed that in order to develop any language, two things are important - the pride felt in speaking that language and the literature of that language.
Dr. Singh said that with the launch of Dogri News Bulletin on satellite medium, Dogri language will reach people across the world. He said that the composite culture and literature of J&K will also get a boost as Kashmiri, Dogri and Ladakhi languages will be available on the same channel.
K Vijay Kumar and K Skandan, Advisors to Governor, Amit Khare, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, B V R Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary, GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, Dr. A. Surya Prakash, Chairman Prasar Bharati were present among other dignitaries on the occasion.
Supriya Sahu, Director General Doordarshan delivered the welcome address. The event commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries. A cultural dance performance along with a live Muppet show featuring popular characters from a children show Galli Galli Sim Sim telecast on DD Kashir were presented on the occasion.
A Short film comprising of clips from archives showcasing the journey of DD Kashir and a video clip on Dogri New Bulletin were also screened for the audience. The event also witnessed the presence of large number of school students.(KNO)