Lok Sabha Question No. 230 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-14
Subject: AIR Jeypore Station in Odisha
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION No. *230

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2021)

## AIR JEYPORE STATION IN ODISHA

- *230. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

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

- (a) whether  the  All  India  Radio,  Jeypore  PC  station  in  Odisha  has been included in Bhawanipatna Cluster as per latest directions of Prasar Bharati;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government is aware of the discontent in undivided Koraput District on the above direction; and
- (d) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  retain  AIR Jeypore Station in Odisha and make it 3rd Cluster of Odisha?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND

MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *230 FOR ANSWER ON 14.12.2021.

(a) to (d) Prasar  Bharati,  with  the  objective  of  streamlining  and strengthening  administrative  operations  across  several  hundreds  of small field units of DD and AIR spread across India, has consolidated administrative management of DD and AIR establishments into one or more clusters within every state (around 80 clusters across India).

Accordingly, the administration of the field units of DD and AIR in the state  of  Odisha  has  been  organised  into  three  clusters,  as  per Annexure,  each  to  be  headed  by  a  senior  officer  who  is  made responsible for administrative functions of the smaller field units that are part of the respective clusters. This structuring of smaller field units into administrative clusters has and  prudent  financial management so that service matters, statutory  matters  such  as RTI replies,  legal  and  financial  matters  of  these  smaller  field  units  are handled  in  a  timely  and  transparent  manner  by  the  senior  officer been  done  to  bring operational efficiency heading each cluster.

This  administrative  organisation  of  smaller  field  units  into  clusters however  has  no  bearing  on  the  content  operations  of  AIR  Radio service in Jeypore or of any other AIR station in the state of Odisha or anywhere in India. AIR Jeypore continues to function as before to serve the needs and aspirations of the region by delivering radio content in multiple modes such  as  on  1467  kHz  in  Medium  Wave,  and  at  103.6  MHz  in  FM  in Jeypore,  and  on  'newsOnAir'  mobile  application  on  'Android'  and 'iOS' platform for mobile users globally.

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE AS REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *230 FOR ANSWER ON 14.12.2021

## Details of Clusters in State of Odisha

| Cluster   | Cluster Head                                                         | Cadre   | Establishment under cluster                                                            | Establishment under cluster                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|           |                                                                      |         | AIR                                                                                    | DD                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| 1.        | 2.                                                                   | 3.      | 4.                                                                                     | 5.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| 1         | Head AIR Cuttack                                                     | DDG     | AIR Cuttack, Puri, Joranda, Soro, Baripada, Sambhalpur, Rairangpur, Keonjhar, Rourkela |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 2         | Head DD Bhubaneswar                                                  | DDG     |                                                                                        | DDK Bhubneshwar, DDK PGF Sambhalpur, HPT Berhampur HPTV Cuttack, HPT Baleshwar, LPTVs at Baripada, Karanjia, Keonjhar, Pallahara, Anandpur, Bhadrak, Durgapur, Talcher, Angul, Dhenkanal, Dashrathpur, Brajrajnagar, Kuchinda, Sundergarh, Deogarh, Bonai, Joda, Mohana, Banapur, Paradeep, Rajranapur, Bhanjanagar, Khandapara, Baligurha, Narsinghpur, Phulbani, Athamalik, boudh, Balangir, Tirtol, Kendrapara. |
| 3         | Head AIR Bhawanipatna with additional charge of Head DD Bhawanipatna | DDG     | AIR Bhawanipatna, Jeypore, Berhampur, Bolangir                                         | DDK (PGF) Bhawanipatna, LPTVs at Nuapara, Patnagarh, Khariar, Umarkot, Navrangpur, Padmpuram, Raiyagada, Jeypore, Koraput, Simliguda, Malkangiri, Parlakhemundi                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |