NEW DELHI: Provisions of Rs 1705.5 million and Rs 3805.5 million have been kept for All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan, respectively in the 10th five-year plan for the schemes to be implemented under Phase-II of the Special North East Package. The scheme is yet to be approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) though.
India's information and broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad offered this information today, adding that the government has no timeframe for setting up a regulatory body for post conditional access regime.
Replying to a question by Dr Arun Kumar Sarma in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) today, the minister for information and broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the special package for expansion and improvement of AIR and Doordarshan services in North East Region and Island territories was approved in principle by the Government in October 2001.
The minister said that a separate North East Zone was created by setting up a small office with limited staff in a rented building in Guwahati. A chief engineer has also been posted in Guwahati. Budget has been provided for the establishment of North East Zone office, Prasad said.