Question : ANTI INDIA PROPAGANDA

(a) whether anti-India propaganda is being aired through radio/television by certain neighbouring countries, including Pakistan across the border areas of the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise and the reaction of the Government thereto;

(c) whether the Government has received any reports/complaints from the people of border areas as well as armed personnel deployed in such areas that the programmes telecast/broadcast from neighbouring countries have better receptivity in the said areas in comparison to the programmes of All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) and they are completed to watch/listen such programmes;

(d) if so, the details thereof and the number of such complaints received along with the acion taken thereon during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;

(e) the funds allocated for the upgradation of DD/AIR networks in the border areas including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh; and

(f) the concrete steps/action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to tackle such propaganda?

(a) & (b): There are reports that anti-India propaganda is received in the State of Jammu & Kashmir from across the border. All India Radio and Doordarshan are improving their coverage in Jammu & Kashmir and other border States by strengthening their network. Several progarmmes have been mounted by All India Radio and Doordarshan to counter such propaganda.

(c) to (f): TV/Radio signals from across the border are received in some areas. No complaint about better reception of TV signals from neighboring countries as compared to Doordarshan signals have been received in the recent past. AIR/Doordarshan signals are available in such areas and their quality is quite comparable to the foreign signals. However, complaints about unsatisfactory TV/AIR coverage in some border areas are occasionally received. All the areas uncovered by terrestrial transmitters (including border areas in Bihar), along with the rest of the country have been provided with multichannel TV coverage through Doordarshan’s free- to- air DTH service “ DD Direct Plus”, signals which can be received anywhere in the country with the help of small sized dish receiver system.
For further strengthening of Radio & TV coverage in J&K, a scheme involving an outlay of Rs 100 crore has been approved in the 11th Plan. This scheme, inter-alia, includes projects of establishment of five High Power TV transmitters in J&K (Kashmir region – 1; Jammu region – 1; Ladakh region – 1 besides 2 HPTs at Rajouri) and is presently under implementation.
Doordarshan and All India Radio have been assigning priority to expansion of their coverage in border areas of the country in various expansion plans formulated from time to time. Special Packages for expansion and improvement of Doordarshan and AIR services in the North-Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir have been implemented. At present 273 TV Transmitters of varying powers are functioning in border districts.