UP gets 2nd Earth station for Doordarshan Kendra, 3 more FM relay stations

The Gorakhpur Doordarshan Kendra was on Friday equipped with an earth station, enabling it to telecast directly the locally generated programmes across the world through DTH.

UP’s second earth station, built for Rs 7 crore, was jointly inaugurated by I&B Minister Anurag Thakur and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also digitally inaugurated three FM relay centres of 10KW each at Etawah, Gadania in Lakhimpur Kheri and Nanpara in Bahraich districts.

The inauguration of an earth station at the Gorakhpur Doordarshan Kendra came as a boon for local Bhojpuri artists, who had been demanding it for long.

Following the inauguration of the earth station, Thakur also announced that Gorakhpur Doordarshan Kendra will soon start telecasting a one-hour-long programme in Bhojpuri directly from here, without taking the Lucknow’s help as earlier.

“Unlike the Congress government, you don’t have to wait now for 70 years for an announcement to take shape on the ground. I am announcing today a one-hour program in Bhojpuri from Gorakhpur Doordarshan Kendra and it will start from December 11 itself,” he said.

The establishment of three FM relay centres will further enhance the reach of All India Radio, especially, in the Indo-Nepal border areas, he pointed out.

With these three relay centres, 50 lakh people of Etawah, 35 lakh of Lakhimpur Kheri and 25 lakh of Nanpara area will be benefitted, said Thakur.

“Our brothers and sisters living on the other side of the border (Nepal) who want to see and hear programs in our language will also be benefited,” he added.

The FM relay centres will also be established in the Rampur, Sultanpur and Maharajganj districts within three months, the I&B Minister said.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-established the power of All India Radio through his “Man ki Baat” programme, Thakur said the I&B ministry is committed to promoting local art and culture.

Within two years, every nook and corner of the country will have FM transmitters, he added.

Referring to the plans of rapid establishment of FM relay centres in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in the country, Thakur hailed the Prime Minister’s leadership, saying it was his leadership that enabled India to develop two corona vaccines and inoculate 120 crore people in such a short period.

“Unlike the Congress government when a vaccine used to reach India after 40 years,” he said, adding India is the only country which provided free ration to 80 crore people for 15 months.

Hailing the UP chief minister work, Thakur said the rapid growth of Uttar Pradesh under Adityanath’s leadership is making an echo in the entire country.

“Under his regime the state economy has reached the second place from the 10th, triggering a deluge of investment in the state,” Thakur said, referring to the establishment of defence corridors and the inauguration of infrastructure projects like expressways, airports and metros.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Adityanath thanked Thakur for giving an earth station to the Gorakhpur Doordarshan Kendra. “People of the area waited for 37 years for the earth station and I and the people of east UP are thankful to the Centre for it,” he said.

“Not only the people of east UP but also those of west Bihar and Nepal will be benefited by the earth station and the programs of Doordarshan Kendra in Gorakhpur will also be able to check the propaganda in border areas,” the CM added.

MP Ravi Kishan, MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and Gorakhpur Mayor Sitaram Jaiswal were also present at the occasion. PTI