Govt spent Rs 1,083.64 crore in five years to revive public broadcasting

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has revealed spending Rs 1083.64 crore over five years under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme with the aim of expanding the footprint of Doordarshan and All India Radio in the hinterlands of the country. 

The BIND scheme, which is fully funded by the central government, is positioned as a pan-India initiative aimed at improving public broadcasting services, particularly in strategic and remote regions of the nation. 

According to official data, the scheme has seen year-wise expenditure of Rs 201.65 crore in 2020–21,  Rs 159.95 crore in 2021–22,  Rs 163.75 crore in 2022–23,  Rs 344.57 crore in 2023–24, and  Rs 213.72 crore in 2024–25. 

Alongside infrastructure upgrades, the scheme also includes a content development component, with Rs 450 crore earmarked for content innovation between 2021 and 2026.

The government flagged digital distribution as a key component of the scheme. Prasar Bharati’s in-house OTT platform, WAVES, launched in 2024, aggregates content from both DD and AIR and offers programming in multiple Indian languages. 

The government will soon be launching a new content onboarding system for WAVES OTT aimed at democratising access for creators and eliminating gatekeeping in the sourcing process. The announcement is likely to coincide with Independence Day, reinforcing the public broadcaster’s vision of an inclusive digital ecosystem, as reported by BestMediaInfo.com.  

While WAVES is projected as a tool to reach younger and mobile-first audiences, the ministry has not released data on user adoption or platform performance.

DD Free Dish, the free-to-air DTH service operated by Doordarshan, has reportedly expanded its offerings from 104 channels in 2019 to 510 channels currently. This includes 92 private channels, 50 Doordarshan channels, and 320 educational channels. Additionally, 48 AIR channels, including FM Gold and Vividh Bharati, are available on the platform.

The government also stated that Doordarshan Kendras at Kolkata, Shantiniketan, and Jalpaiguri have functional studios catering to local content production. Similarly, AIR stations at Siliguri, Kurseong, and Darjeeling are equipped with studio facilities to produce regional content.