NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting CM Jatua urged for development of new broadcasting technologies ‘at rocket pace’ to keep up with the developments all over the world.
Jatua was speaking at the BES Expo organised by the Broadcast Engineering Society.
Veteran media person B G Verghese added in a special address at the valedictory session that there was dire need for setting up a separate autonomous body for broadcast transmission if the country had to ensure it kept pace with developments all over the world. He said this recommendation had been made when he was member of the first Board of Prasar Bharati after it was notified in 1997. It had also been stated at that time that the Government should only function as a trustee.
He also said that it was important that discussions held in meets such as the three-day Expo should not just remain in record books and should be taken up by the Government for implementation.
Verghese was presented an Honorary Fellowship of the BES by the Minister on the occasion. Two former engineering-in-chief executives of Doordarshan, BK Dey and RK Gupta, received Lifetime Achievement awards. Six other awards were presented on the occasion for excellence in broadcast engineering.
BES President Ashok Lakhanpal said an important subject taken up during the discussions was the role of broadcasting in disaster management.
Around 50 personalities from India and overseas took part in the various sessions held during the Expo which was on the theme of Broadcasting through Multiple Platforms. Other subjects taken up included ‘Digital TV Broadcasting Technologies’, content management, digital radio transmission, and community radio.
Stalls on broadcasting technologies were put up by over a 100 exhibitors from India and overseas. They included Prasar Bharati and Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd.
Speaking at the inauguration on 11 February, MoS for I&B S Jagathrakhskan had said that nations which miss out on the information revolution would be treated as backward nations. He said convergence communication and information technologies were driving new products. Digitisation was expected to bring in major gains for the broadcasting sector and the viewers would get a tool to balance their viewing affordability. This will ensure a level playing field.
I& B Secretary Uday Kumar Varma who had also attended the inauguration said that technological changes were taken place very fast but consumer education was missing about this, and the BES could play a major role in this direction.
