Lok Sabha Question No. 2243 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-15
Subject: Financial Crisis in Prasar Bharati
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: LAXMAN GILUWA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2243

## (TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2017)

## FINANCIAL CRISIS  IN PRASAR BHARATI

2243.  SHRI LAXMAN GILUWA.

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Prasar Bharati is facing crisis relating to financial problems and human resource development;
- (b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) the efforts made by the Government to promote the role of Prasar Bharati as a public broadcaster; and
- (d) the outcome of the measures taken?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION  AND BROADCASTING {Col RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)}

- (a)  to  (c)  Prasar  Bharati's  primary  mandate  is  to  organize  and  conduct  public broadcasting service with the intent to inform, educate and entertain the public and to ensure a balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television in the  country.  Hence,  revenue  generation  is  not  the  main  objective  of  Prasar Bharati. Prasar Bharati is generating its revenue through Internal Extra Budgetary Resources  (IEBR)  to  meet  its  operating  expenses.  The  government  is  also providing  100%  salary  support  to  Prasar  Bharati  &  plan  grant  for  creation  of Capital Assets and Content Development.
- (d)The outcome of measures taken by the Government are indicated below:
- i) 24  Hrs  Hindi  Satellite  Channels  DD-Bihar,  DD-MP,  DD-UP  &  DDRajasthan  launched.  Further,  24  Hrs  Satellite  Channel,  DD-Saptagiri, have been launched from Vijayawada.
- ii) 24 Hrs Satellite Channel, DD Kisan launched.
- iii) Technical  facility  for  launch  of  new  TV  Channel  'DD  Arun  Prabha' completed.
- iv) DTH Platform upgraded from 59 to 104 channels.
- v) Order placed for implementation of Indian CAS (iCAS).
- vi) Free-to-Air  (FTA)  channels  capacity  on  the  upgraded  Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform increased to 80 TV channels.
- vii) Earth stations at Indore, Rajkot, Vijayawada & Jalpaiguri set up.
- viii) Modernization of Earth station at Leh completed.
- ix) Modernization of Earth station at Chandigarh, Hisar, Panaji & Port Blair (except RF eqpt.) completed.
- x) High Definition Television (HDTV) Studios set up at Delhi & Mumbai
- xi) 39 Studios digitalized.
- xii) Pmt. Studio set up at Dehradun commissioned.
- xiii) Multichannel Automated Playback facility set up and installation of Multi Camera Studio Production facility in HDTV format in progress at CPC, Delhi.
- xiv) Media Asset Management for Archive system set up at Kolkata.
- xv) HDTV Outside Broadcast (OB) Vans supplied at Delhi & Mumbai.
- xvi) 6 Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) Vans deployed.
- xvii) 19 digital High Power Transmitters (HPTs) (Digital Video Broadcasting2 nd Generation  Terrestrial) (DVB-T2)  supplied  &  16 digital  HPTs commissioned.
- xviii)  4 HDTV transmitters supplied & installed.
- xix) HPT,  Cannanore  commissioned  and  Very  Low  Power  Transmitter (VLPT), Joginder Nagar commissioned.
- xx) Old ageing HPTs replaced by new 10 KW HPTs at 14 locations.
- xxi) 111 Automode Low Power Transmitters (LPTs) supplied & commissioned
- xxii) Construction of Tower 'C' of Doordarshan Bhawan completed.

As far as AIR is concerned, the major achievements are enlisted below:

- a)  Total No. of Transmitters as on 31 st  March, 2012: 432 ((MW-148, SW-48, FM-236).
- b)  Total no. of Transmitters as on 10 th  February, 2017: 610 (MW-143, SW-48, FM-419) (including 195 nos. of 100 W FM Transmitters).

The details of projects completed in 12 th  Plan year-wise is depicted in the Table below:

| Projects commissioned                             | 2012-13   |   2013-14 |   2014-15 | 2015-16   |   2016-17 |
|---------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| FM Transmitters (including replacement of old Tx) | 118       |        35 |        60 | 26        |         9 |
| MWTransmitters                                    | -         |         2 |         1 | -         |         1 |

| MW DRM Transmitters (excluding mast strengthening)   | 1   | 7   | -   | 16   | 12   |
|------------------------------------------------------|-----|-----|-----|------|------|
| 500 kW SW DRM Transmitter                            | -   | 1   | -   | -    | -    |
| Digitization of Existing Studios                     | -   | 48  | -   | -    | -    |
| Digitization of Existing Regional News Units (RNUs)  | 44  | -   | -   | -    | -    |
| Creation of New RNUs                                 | -   | 7   | -   | -    | -    |
| Creation of NewArchival Facilities                   | 3   | 2   | -   |      |      |
| Technically Ready Projects                           | -   | -   | -   | -    | 9    |