Monday, 21 February 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
The secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra took stock of the various media units in Uttarakhand during his two-day tour of the mountain state. The secretary met the officials of Press Information Bureau, Regional Outreach Bureau and Prasar Bharati. He encouraged the officials to use innovative ways to widen the reach of the media to educate the common man about public policy.
The secretary took a tour of the facilities at the Doordarshan Kendra and remarked that perhaps Dehradun was the only place across the nation that housed both units of Prasar Bharati, ie Doordarshan and All India Radio, in the same premises, according them economies of scope. He also spoke about the ministry’s effort to increase the footprint of the public broadcaster in Uttarakhand.
Chandra further said that the ministry is working towards providing relief to families of journalists who have lost their lives in the Covid pandemic. The Journalist Welfare Scheme provisions for the aid of Rs five lakh for the affected families in such cases. About two months ago, Rs six crore were transferred under the scheme to more than 100 families across the country. The secretary referred to the scheme by ESIC, where in case of the death of an employee due to Covid-19, the family will receive 90 per cent of the daily wages for a lifetime. The secretary advised the officials to increase the rich cultural content of the mountain state and broadcast it across the country.
