Parliament Question: Doordarshan Services in Bhagalpur

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6080 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026) DOORDARSHAN SERVICES IN BHAGALPUR 6080. SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL: Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state: (a) the present status of Akashvani/Doordarshan services in Bhagalpur; (b) the initiatives taken to expand digital broadcasting; (c) the plans proposed to provide a platform to local artists and cultural programmes; and (d) the details of steps taken by the Government to promote community radio stations? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (d): Akashvani Bhagalpur operates a 20 kW MW and a 100 W FM transmitter. Akashvani Bhagalpur is equipped with a fully digital studio setup. It broadcasts programmes for 17 hours 20 minutes daily, from 5:50 AM to 11:20 PM. Of this total broadcast time, 12 hours 32 minutes are original programmes produced by the station, while 4 hours 48 minutes are relayed programmes. The programmes are broadcast in Hindi, English, Urdu, Sanskrit, Santhali and Angika dialect.Akashvani engages regional talent by providing opportunities to local artists, musicians, writers, and performers to showcase their work. These efforts help preserve traditional art forms, nurture emerging talent, and strengthen community connect. DD Bihar, beamed from Doodarshan Kendra, Patna, telecasts programmes related to art, culture and cultural heritage, literature, history, heritage, traditions, people, eminent personalities, news and current affairs etc. of the entire state of Bihar including Bhagalpur. DD Bihar produces and telecasts regional content by engaging local artists/talent. More than 260 Akashvani channels, including Akashvani Live News 24x7, Vividh Bharati, Raagam, etc., along with 7 Akashvani channels from Bihar (including Akashvani Bhagalpur), are available on the “News on AIR” mobile app on both Android and iOS platforms. Doordarshan is providing Free-to-Air Direct-To-Home (DTH) service that can be received anywhere in the country, including Bhagalpur district in Bihar. This service is available to all viewers across the country without any month subscription cost. All the Doordarshan channels including DD Bihar, a 24x7 dedicated channel for the state of Bihar, are available on “DD Free Dish”. Prasar Bharati has also launched its own OTT platform “Waves” in 2024 providing infotainment content. It is playing a key role in making information,education, and culture easily available to everyone. Various channels of Doordarshan including DD Bihar and AIR network are also integrated into Waves OTT. Community radios are supported under "Supporting Community Radio Movement in India" – a Central Sector Scheme. The objectives of the scheme are to strengthen new and existing Community Radio Stations (CRSs) with resources, capacity and technology. To promote growth of community radio, particularly in remote and rural areas, support is provided under the scheme. It facilitates socio-economic and cultural development by providing communities with a platform for local voices and participation in development processes. Financial assistance is provided to new and existing CRSs for following components.  Procurement or replacement of equipment;  Capacity building and training of community radio operators;  Organisation of workshops, seminars and regional/national Sammelans for gathering feedback, creating awareness and promoting knowledge sharing;The Government has also developed a content sharing platform on the NaViGate Bharat Portal to archive and share community radio content among the Community Radio Stations. It enables stations to upload and reuse quality programmes, creating a centralized repository of development and cultural content. *****