Punjabi University allotted independent DTH channel

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 25

The Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) of Punjabi University, Patiala, has added another feather to its cap with the HRD Ministry allotting to it an independent direct to home (DTH) channel with a view to make subject-wise e-content in various languages over the DTH platform. 

While disclosing this, EMRC Director and channel coordinator Prof Gurmeet Maan said the activity had the potential to revolutionise the education delivery across the country in a highly cost-effective manner. “For the learners, the service will be free. These channels will also enable the sharing of lectures of outstanding teachers across the country,” he said.

He said Punjabi University centre was one of the 24 centres in the country selected for the project. The UGC-task force committee, under the chairmanship of Prof Rajbir Singh, Director of the Consortium of Educational Communication (CEC), took the decision of the allotment of the DTH channel to the Patiala varsity after reviewing the performance of the centre.

 Prof Maan further said this was the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the project was likely to launched on August 15. He added that Punjabi University had been asked to make e-programmes on subjects related to legal studies and human rights.

Under the Phase-I, the media centre will prepare content for the channel and send it to BISAG,Gandhinagar, Gujarat, for up-linking. Later, the up-linking facility will be installed at the media centre, which will be in position to telecast the programmes directly from the centre. The infrastructure for the channel will  be provided by the HRD Ministry and the UGC.