Direct to Home (DTH) operators in India have agreed with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to air Panini, Sharda, and Kishore Manch channels for a period of three months.
I&B Ministry on Tuesday stated that to support and reach out to students who do not have much access to the internet, the HRD Ministry and Govt of India have introduced Swayam Prabha DTH channels which are allocated to NCERT and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
These channels cover Curriculum-based course content for classes 3 to 12. In a recent meeting with the CEOs of the four DTH operators, the telecast was discussed and agreed to in the context of closing down of all educational institutes in the prevailing lockdown situation.
The telecast of these channels can be received through DD Free Dish and Dish TV set-top box. Given the situation, the bureaus under MHRD are trying to provide educational content online so that students can continue their studies from home.
The telecast of educational programmes through these DTH channels have proved to be of great help. However, the limited telecast of these channels has acted as a constraint in reaching out to all the students across India.
Given the situation, the Ministry has requested all DTH/MSO and LCO operators to telecast the three free-to-air DTH channels allocated for School Education in the best interest of the students across India.
1) PANINI Channel # 27 allocated to NIOS
2) SHARDA Channel # 28 allocated to NIOS
3) Kishore Manch Channel #3l allocated to NCERT
The MIB has requested the DTH operators to air the three channels for a period of three months across their platforms as agreed in their interaction with the Ministry.
