Fatehpur leads AI-driven child vaccination monitoring in UP
With this initiative, the district has become the first district in the state to use AI to achieve the target of 100% vaccination coverage among children.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working on the modernization and expansion of Akashvani and Doordarshan Kendras (DDK) across all the states by upgrading multiple Kendras under the Central Sector Scheme – Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND).
Providing the information in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. L Murugan said the expansion includes major upgrades throughout the country, including Bihar, to strengthen public broadcasting.
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Adding that the scheme has been approved with a total outlay of Rs. 2,539.61 crore for the period 2021–26, Murugan said it focuses on digitalization and modernization of broadcasting equipment, replacement of old systems, upgradation of studio and transmitter infrastructure, and introduction of new technologies and digital workflows.
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The government has sanctioned various projects for modernization of broadcasting infrastructure in Bihar. It includes Rs. 64.56 Cr for modernization of Akashvani Kendras and Rs. 4.31 Cr for modernization of Doordarshan Kendras.
He also added that DD Free Dish is the free-to-air (FTA) Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform of Prasar Bharati whose footprint spans the entire country, including remote, border, and otherwise inaccessible areas.
“Government’s flagship schemes and public awareness campaigns are disseminated through programs on various national & regional channels of Doordarshan on DD Free Dish,” he said, adding that it reaches approximately 49 million households nationwide as of 2024.
Speaking about the proactive measures to increase the representation of South Indian language channels on DD Free Dish, the Union minister said for better regional representation, slots had been reserved for South Indian language channels in the e-auctions of DD Free Dish platform (done in 2025). “The eligibility norms have been simplified to ensure greater participation from private broadcasters in the southern region. Furthermore, dedicated slots were offered for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam channels in recent e-auctions. Three additional South Indian language private channels viz. TV9 Telugu, Aastha Kannada & Aastha Telugu, have been onboarded on DD Free Dish April this year,” he said.
Doordarshan’s own regional channels, such as DD Tamil, DD Saptagiri, DD Chandana, DD Yadagiri, and DD Malayalam have also been onboarded. The channels are being technologically upgraded and better promoted to enhance their visibility, he stated in his speech.
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