Konkani news bulletin on Goa DD soon: Centre

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-12-20
PANAJI- The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Mr Anand Sharma on Friday announced that the state would soon have Konkani bulletin telecast by the Panaji Doordarshan Kendra, and that he has already directed the chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati, Mr B S Lalli and his team to ensure that the arrangements for the same be made at the earliest.
Mr Sharma, who earlier inaugurated the additional studio facilities at the state Doordarshan centre at a special function, said the introduction of a new state-of–the–art television studio will put the Panaji Doordarshan Kendra at par with any best Doordarshan centre in the country.
The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, the North Goa MP, Mr Shripad Naik, the Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Shantaram Naik, the Chief Secretary, Mr J P Singh, besides Mr Lalli and the centre director, Mr Chandrakant Barve were present on the occasion.
Mr Sharma said that Doordarshan, with its phenomenal reach as the largest public telecast agency, present programmes in 122 Indian languages and dialects, through 1,400-plus transmitters and 66 studios, with terrestrial coverage of 92 per cent around the country.
“Doordarshan provides information in an unbiased and objective manner without sensationalising the issues, and the viewers, therefore go back to it, in spite of the availability of countless satellite television channels,” he pointed out.
Maintaining that the commercial satellite channels are not interested in telecast of the ongoing silent development revolution in the country, the I&B Minister said that achievements of the country in educational field is not fully registered in the society, and Doordarshan as well as All-India Radio are shouldering the responsibility of disseminating such information to public. He further said that there is also judicious mix of entertainment in the programmes of Doordarshan.
Mr Sharma stated that any national calamity or incidents like the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai need to be conveyed to the public without causing undue panic, or dramatising the incidents, and Doordarshan is perhaps the only channel, which does it with utmost responsibility.
The additional Doordarshan facilities at the Panaji Doordarshan Kendra form an important addition to the vast network of Doordarshan, he acknowledged.
Mr Sharma said that though the workforce at the Doordarshan centres and All-India Radio stations around the country has drastically reduced due to the national policy of the Prasar Bharati of not recruiting staff on regular basis, the ministry of information and broadcasting has made adequate arrangements for hiring staff on casual/ contract basis.
“The necessary funds have been sanctioned for the purpose,” Mr Sharma told ‘The Navhind Times’, adding that large number of casual/ on-contract quality staff would be hired for both, Doordarshan and AIR, in the near future. He also added that the required workforce would be made available for the soon-to-be set up news section of the Panaji Doordarshan centre.
The Chief Minister, in his speech said that Goa is a prosperous and developing state in the country and the new studio facility at the Panaji Doordarshan Kendra would further help in the development of the state. He hoped that the additional facility would help the local Doordarshan centre to come up with quality programmes.
Mr Shantaram Naik, terming the additional facilities as fulfilment of his dream, said that the progress of the local Doordarshan centre from being a programme generating facility to a full-fledged studio is very impressive. He also observed that Doordarshan is a mirror of the country, in spite of availability of a number of satellite television channels for public consumption.
The North Goa MP observed that the modern facilities would help the local Doordarshan centre to telecast more programmes, displaying the rich cultural heritage of Goa.
Mr Lalli, in his welcome address said the additional facilities will include state-of-the-art studio with full camera sets, switches and digital technology, which would be very beneficial for drama, live shows, dances and so on.
“We will also try to fulfil the long pending demand of the state to have a Konkani news bulletin,” he added.