Lok Sabha Question No. 396 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-19
Subject: Digital Transmitters for Border Areas
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: RAJESHBHAI NARANBHAI CHUDASAMA, GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 396 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2018)

## DIGITAL TRANSMITTERS FOR BORDER AREAS

## 396.  SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA: SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  strengthen  the  digital  transmitters  for broadcast in border areas;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

- (c) whether any action is being taken by cracking down on broadcast of unauthorised channels especially in border areas; and
- (d)  if  so,  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  make  contents  of  AIR  broadcasts interesting, entertaining and useful to the listeners?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Prasar Bharati has informed that as regards Doordarshan (DD), 11 Digital High Power Transmitters(HPTs) have been approved for border areas.  List of such HPTs  is  given  at Annexure-I. All  India  Radio  (AIR)  has  replaced  its  19  MW transmitters by new-state-of-the-art digital transmitters (DRM) providing coverage in the  border  areas.  These  transmitters  are  capable  of  broadcasting  in  Analogue  or Digital or Simulcast mode (combination of both modes). Details of these transmitters are given in Annexure-II.

(c)  &  (d)  Transmission of unpermitted satellite channels is a violation of the Cable Television Networks (Regulations) Act, 1995 and there are adequate provisions in the Act to curb such activities and take penal as well as punitive action. The Cable Act, 1995 has defined authorized officers who are empowered to take action against any such violations.

It has been AIR's constant endeavour to make the programmes interesting, entertaining and useful to its listeners. AIR stations located in the border areas put out  various  programmes to counter the malicious propaganda emanating from the other side.  These programmes reflect the socio-economic ethos of the concerned regions,  the  development  activities  in  border  states,  special  programme  informing the people about the confidence building measures undertaken by the Government. While doing so efforts are made to keep in mind the guidelines given from time to time by the concerned agencies of the Government of India.

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ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 396 FOR ANSWER ON 19.07.2018

List of digital HPTs approved for Border areas.

|   Sl. No. | State           | Location      |
|-----------|-----------------|---------------|
|         1 | Jammu & Kashmir | Jammu         |
|         2 | Manipur         | Churachandpur |
|         3 | Meghalaya       | Shillong      |
|         4 | Mizoram         | Lunglei       |
|         5 | Punjab          | Amritsar      |
|         6 | Rajasthan       | Barmer        |
|         7 | Sikkim          | Gangtok       |
|         8 | Tamil Nadu      | Rameshwaram   |
|         9 | Tripura         | Agartala      |
|        10 | West Bengal     | Krishnanagar  |
|        11 | West Bengal     | Kurseong      |

ANNEXURE-II

ANNEXURE AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 396 FOR ANSWER ON 19.07.2018

## LIST OF MW  DIGITAL  TRANSMITTERS (DRM)  PROVIDING COVERAGE TO THE BORDER AREAS

|   SL.NO. | LOCATION   | STATE             | EXISTING TRANSMITTERS   | NAME OF BORDER COVER                                          |
|----------|------------|-------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | ITANAGAR   | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 200 KW MW               | INDO-CHINA/TIBET BORDER INDO- BHUTAN BORDER                   |
|        2 | PASSIGHAT  | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 100 KW MW               | INDO-CHINA/TIBET BORDER                                       |
|        3 | TAWANG     | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 20 KW MW                | INDO- CHINA/TIBET BORDER INDO- BHUTAN BORDER                  |
|        4 | DIBRUGARH  | ASSAM             | 300 KW MW               | INDO-MYANMAR BORDER                                           |
|        5 | PATNA      | BIHAR             | 100 KW MW               | INDO-NEPAL BORDER                                             |
|        6 | AHMEDABAD  | GUJARAT           | 200 KW MW               | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|        7 | RAJKOT     | GUJARAT           | 300 KW MW 1000 KW MW    | INDO-PAK BORDER INDO-PAK BORDER                               |
|        8 | JAMMU      | JAMMU & KASHMIR   | 300 KW MW               | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|        9 | JALLANDHAR | PUNJAB            | 300 KW MW               | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|       10 | BARMER     | RAJASTHAN         | 20 KW MW                | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|       11 | BIKANER    | RAJASTHAN         | 20 KW MW                | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|       12 | SURATGARH  | RAJASTHAN         | 300 KW MW               | INDO-PAK BORDER                                               |
|       13 | CHENNAI    | TAMIL NADU        | 200 KW MW               | INDO-SRILANKA BORDER                                          |
|       14 | LUCKNOW    | UTTAR PRADESH     | 300 kW MW               | INDO-NEPAL BORDER                                             |
|       15 | KOLKATA    | WEST BENGAL       | 1000 KW MW              | INDO-BANGLADESH BORDER                                        |
|       15 | KOLKATA    | WEST BENGAL       | 200 KW MW               | INDO-BANGLADESH BORDER                                        |
|       15 | KOLKATA    | WEST BENGAL       | 100 KW MW               | INDO-BANGLADESH BORDER                                        |
|       16 | SILLIGURI  | WEST BENGAL       | 200 KW MW               | INDO-BANGLADESH BORDER INDO- BHUTAN BORDER INDO- NEPAL BORDER |

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