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Rajasthan moots national policy on information

Special Correspondent

Call to widen scope of Press Council

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has recommended framing of a national information policy to deal with the enormous expansion of electronic and cyber media in the country and called for widening the scope of functioning of the Press Council of India by reconstituting it as the Media Council.

The State Parliamentary Secretary in charge of information and public relations, Bhawani Singh Rajawat, making the recommendation at the 25th conference of Information Ministers in New Delhi on Saturday, said that a policy setting out the parameters for electronic media would facilitate the growth of responsible television and Internet journalism.

Mr. Rajawat pointed out the Information and Broadcasting Department had not formulated its policy so far in contrast to almost every other department adopting the national policy in the respective domain. He added that the services of Press Information Bureau should also be expanded by opening its offices at all divisional headquarters. The conference was inaugurated by the Union I&B Minister, Jaipal Reddy. The Rajasthan Minister said the national policy would especially benefit a border State like Rajasthan, which was facing "cultural attack" from across the border through radio and television. "The moment the people in Jaisalmer, Barmer and Sriganganagar districts switch on radio, they get the Radio Pakistan sound from Karachi and Rawalpindi," he said while referring to propaganda beamed to the border districts.

Requesting the Centre to install high-power All India Radio and Doordarshan transmitters in the border areas, he said emphasis should be laid on producing programmes of good quality to attract more listeners and viewers. Mr. Reddy assured Mr. Rajawat said that the Ministry would consider the issue seriously and expand the DTH services in the border districts.

Mr. Rajawat made a request for establishing a Doordarshan relay centre in Dholpur, installing a television tower in Kishangarh, operationalising the Doordarshan relay tower in Nawalgarh and increasing the capacity of the FM radio station in Jaisalmer.

He said the State Government had identified the land for establishing a film city which would facilitate the shooting and commercial production of films, and sought Central assistance for the ambitious project. He also said the rich cultural, historical and architectural heritage of Rajasthan should be highlighted through better coverage in the Doordarshan news bulletins.

Besides the Information Ministers of various States, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dixit, Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, Principal Information Officer, Shakuntala Mahawal, and the Union I&B Secretary, Navin Chawla, attended the conference.

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