I&B ministry to get 138% more in 11th Plan

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) is set to receive a budget outlay of Rs 12,000 crore in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012), a 138 per cent increase over the outlay in the previous Plan (2002-2007).

The Eleventh Plan working group, which has submitted its report to the Planning Commission, has also suggested that Doordarshan's vast terrestrial network can be shared by private broadcasters who want to launch mobile TV services across the country. It would be based on a revenue-share model.

Of the total outlay, Rs 11,000 crore will be dedicated to broadcasting, while Rs 500 crore each will be set aside for film and information sectors.

For Doordarshan's modernisation programme, Rs 774 crore will go towards the digitalisation of studio infrastructure in the next five years while Rs 1,166 crore will be set aside for the digitalisation of transmitters.

For switching to high-definition television transmission, Prasar Bharati will get a budgetary support of Rs 441 crore while Rs 110 crore will be provided for the coverage of Commonwealth Games to be held in 2010.

According to the recommendations of the Eleventh Plan working group "" which has submitted its recommendation to the Planning Commission "" the I&B ministry will use the budget for converting all the 1,404 transmitters of Doordarshan from analogue to digital. "The new digitally compatible transmitters will have the ability to simulcast in both analogue and digital transmission," a ministry official said.

Also, while there will be no expansion of Doordarshan's terrestrial network, low-powered transmitters will be converted to high-powered transmitters.

In order to increase Doordarshan's revenue potential, the entry of private players to Doordarshan's transmission network for mobile solutions, as well as terrestrial transmission, will be allowed. "Private sector investment will be sought in terrestrial transmission on a public-private-partnership model," the official said.

The outlay is based on I&B ministry's estimates that the television sector will have a projected grow of 42 per cent during the Eleventh Plan while the film sector will register about 20 per cent growth.

"Apart from broadcasting, the government will provide a budgetary support of Rs 500 crore for the film sector in the Eleventh Plan. The ministry will use the money to also look at possible partnership with Hollywood studios at a formal level," the official said.