The Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at providing financial support to Prasar Bharati—the public broadcaster of India—for the expansion, modernization, and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure. It acts as the primary vehicle for strengthening the reach and quality of both All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD).
Scheme Overview and Financial Details
The scheme serves as a long-term investment in India’s public service broadcasting capabilities, ensuring the modernization of technology and the broadening of audience access.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- Implementing Agency: Prasar Bharati.
- Total Outlay: Rs. 2,539.61 crore.
- Implementation Period: Financial years 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- Scheme Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% funding by the Government of India).
Primary Objectives
The BIND scheme focuses on enhancing the technical and creative capacity of India’s public broadcasting network through the following core objectives:
- Infrastructure Modernization: Digitalization of broadcasting equipment and replacement of obsolete systems across all AIR and Doordarshan studios and transmitters.
- Capacity Expansion: Increasing the reach of AIR’s FM transmitters and upgrading the capacity of the Doordarshan Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform to accommodate a larger number of channels.
- High-Quality Content Development: Promoting the production of high-quality content for both domestic and international audiences, ensuring diversity in programming.
- Technological Upgradation: Introduction of new technologies, digital workflows, and making existing studios “HD-ready.”
- Social Equity and Reach: Expanding the network’s footprint, specifically in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected zones, border regions, and other strategically important or remote areas.
Key Targets and Deliverables
The scheme is designed to provide tangible improvements in the coverage and accessibility of public broadcasting services.
| Parameter | Baseline (Pre-Scheme) | Target Coverage |
| AIR FM Coverage (Geographical) | 59% | 66% |
| AIR FM Coverage (Population) | 68% | 80% |
- DD Free Dish Expansion: The scheme mandates the free distribution of over 8 lakh Set-Top Boxes (STBs) to households in remote, tribal, border, and aspirational districts to ensure last-mile connectivity.
- Hardware Augmentation: Purchase of modern Outside Broadcasting (OB) vans and upgrading existing studio infrastructure to facilitate high-definition (HD) broadcasting.
Significance for Prasar Bharati
- Enhanced Public Service: As the most vital vehicle for information, education, and entertainment, the upgrades allow Prasar Bharati to better serve the nation, particularly in remote areas where private network penetration may be limited.
- Economic Impact: The project fosters indirect employment generation in sectors related to the manufacturing, supply, and installation of broadcasting equipment, as well as in content production and media services.
- Strategic Utility: By strengthening communication networks in border and LWE areas, the scheme serves a dual purpose of public information and national security.
- Legacy Preservation: The modernization of infrastructure ensures that the archives and historical content of Akashvani and Doordarshan are digitized and preserved for posterity.
Prasar Bharati: At a Glance
- Nature: An autonomous statutory body established under the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990.
- All India Radio (Akashvani): The national radio broadcaster; it maintains the largest radio network globally in terms of the number of languages and dialects broadcast.
- Doordarshan: The national television broadcaster, which was operationally separated from All India Radio in 1976. It currently operates a diverse network of national, regional, and international channels.