27/10/2021
A much-needed and welcome initiative from Prasar Bharti
Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati will explore the feasibility of providing a bigger share of Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) airtime to Nepali programmes, specifically to cater to the Gorkhas of West Bengal in light of multiple requests from them, News18.com has learnt.
“The feasibility of airing more local Nepali content for north Bengal will be studied. But, we’ll first need to check the availability of requisite infrastructure and local talent,” a senior government official told News18.com.
Sources in the government told News18.com that Prasar Bharati, the parent body of the state-owned DD and AIR, periodically receives requests to air multiple local language broadcasts from across the country.
“There are several such requests for local language broadcasts that we periodically receive from various regions. We try to accommodate such requests to the extent possible,” the official quoted above said.
(Source: https://www.news18.com/news/india/prasar-bharti-exploring-feasibility-of-more-airtime-for-nepali-content-as-gorkha-demand-gets-political-hook-4303010.html)
The Gorkha population in Darjeeling and Kurseong has been demanding more Nepali language programming for several years now. The demand may get attention now with the BJP and TMC turning focus to north Bengal voters.