Cabinet approves revised DTH guidelines- MIB Javdekar

The Union Cabinet has decided to approve revision in the guidelines for providing Direct-to-home television (DTH) services in the country. license for DTH would be issued for 20 years and the license fee would be collected on a quarterly basis. The cabinet approved the merger of Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India, and Children’s Film Society, India with National Film Development Corporation.

Addressing a press briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday, minister of informarion and broadcasting Prakash Javdekar said that while undertaking this exercise of convergence, interests of the employees of all the concerned Media Units will be fully taken care and no employee will be retrenched. The merger of Film Media Units under a single corporation will lead to synergy amongst the various activities with better and efficient utilization of misting infrastructure and manpower. This will lead to reduction in duplication of activities and direct savings to the exchequer, he said. 

The cabinet also approved for signing the revised Air Services Agreement between India and Philippines and Afghanistan. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs  approved major and transformatory changes in the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes (PMS-SC)’ to benefit more than 4 Crore SC students in the next 5 years so that they can successfully complete their higher education. A sum of Rs 58,000 crore Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes was alsoapproved.