Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting dedicated to the nation High Power Transmitters of Doordarshan and All India Radio at Hamboting La near Kargil in Ladakh today. The 10 KW transmitters are the highest altitude TV and Radio transmitters in the country, located at the height of 4054 metres (about 13,300 ft) above the mean sea level. The transmitters at Leh are at the altitude of 3501 metres (about 11,450 ft).

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister noted that Hamboting La site is one of the most difficult locations considering the hostile weather conditions and geographical terrain. Shri Anurag Thakur complimented the team of engineers and workers for completing the project in such hostile weather conditions. The range of the transmitters is over 50 Kms in radius. Observing that transmitters would cover a population of about 50,000 in the remote border area of Kargil, Shri Thakur said that the number may look small compared to other parts of the country, but it demonstrates the commitment of Government of India to reach each and every citizen in the border areas.The Minister also announced that the Ladakhi contribution to DD Kashir will be doubled from 30 minutes to one hour daily from 1st Oct 2021.

Shri Thakur said that Border coverage by strong signals of Radio & Television is an important aspect of broadcasting policies of the Government. The Minister said that it is not only required for providing correct information to the people in the sensitive border areas of J&K and Ladakh but also to counter the propaganda from the hostile neighbours. The strengthening of terrestrial coverage in border areas also allows the viewers/listeners to be adequately informed about the country’s policies, news and current affairs and simultaneously be entertained by variety of programmes.

This will also make educational content available for the students in this region through DD and AIR. Through its TV, Radio and digital platforms, Prasar Bharati has been offering various educational contents for school & college students in collaboration with various state education departments and institutions.  

Speaking on the occasion Sh. J. T. Namgyal, Member of Parliament from Ladakh said that the new transmitters show the centre’s commitment towards the development of the region.

In order to make TV and Radio channels accessible to common people, Prasar Bharati is making available over 160 TV channels across different genres including news, entertainment, education and 48 Radio Channels free of cost to DD Free Dish households at no monthly fee. The unique free to air model has made DD Free Dish the largest DTH platform with reach to more than 4 Crore households.

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Saurabh Singh