Gyandarshan channels off air due to non-payment of dues

Gyandarshan channels off air due to non-payment of dues

NEW DELHI: Even as the stalemate continues on the issue of the Gyandarshan channels of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the Government has said that these channels do not have clearance from Wireless Planning Coordination (WPC) of the Communications & IT Ministry.

 Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that Prasar Bharati is unable to uplink on C-Band and Doordarshan is not being able to downlink these channels on DD Freedish.

 However, the pubcaster runs a half-hour programme of IGNOU, University Grants Commission (UGC) & Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) on DD National. The Government had introduced four educational channels: Gyandarshan 1, Gyandarshan 2, Vyas Channel and Eklavya Channel.

Out of these, Gyandarshan 1 & 2 have been run by the Education Media Production Centre (EMPC) of IGNOU. Vyas Channel is being managed by UGC and Eklavya by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

IGNOU used to uplink these channels on C-Band which was then taken by DD Freedish of Prasar Bharati.

At present, however, these channels are off air since IGNOU has not cleared its dues to Prasar Bharati.