Rs 430 crore for strengthening media network in J&K

Rs 430 crore for strengthening media network in J&K
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

JAMMU, FEB 26: The Centre has earmarked Rs 430 crore for strengthening and expanding the electronic media network in Jammu and Kashmir, Information and Braodcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said here today.

The amount will be spent by June 2001 in the state and thereby various high quality programmes will be telecast for the people of the state, Jaitley said while inaugurating a high-power Doordarshan-2 transmission channel at Muthi.

He said the present era is the age of Information Technology and "our neighbouring country (Pakistan) is utilising this technology for launching proxy war against the country".

Jaitley said Pakistan was indulging in propaganda "to mislead our youths towards gun culture..."

"To counter this, it was imperative to have high-power transmission channels in the state," the Minister said.

The high-power transmission centre would cover a range of nearly 40-km and cater to a population of nearly 10 lakh including the rural areas, an official release said here.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Civil Aviation C L Gupta said such high-power transmission centres would help in countering the vicious propaganda of Pakistan.

State Information and Broadcasting Minister Ajatshatru Singh, while expressing his gratitude to the Centre, said that besides helping in countering Pakistani propaganda, the transmission centre would help in promoting Dogri culture among the far-flung areas of the state.

Jaitley said the government would to launch digital terrestrial transmission in the country from next year, with which about eight channels would be made available to viewers through a single antenna.

He further said the "Information Technology war" in Jammu and Kashmir would be given an impetus, so that all the DD channels and programmes reached everybody and people were not forced to watch PTV programmes.

He said necessary steps would be taken to instal high-power and low-power transmitters in the border areas of the state.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta, who was also present on the occasion, stressed the need for installing more high-power transmitters in the border areas of the state to counter the propaganda unleashed by Pakistan.