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100 more community radio stations soon, says Smriti Irani

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New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) The Central government on Thursday said it has planned to set up at least 100 more community radio stations across the country in 2018.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani made the announcement at the 15th Asia Media Summit here, in which 228 delegates from 39 countries are taking part.

“We have a vibrant community radio system in our country, with 215 community radio stations in operation and 100 more in the pipeline,” Irani said.

In its endeavour to encourage the community radio movement in the country, the Minister said, the government had increased subsidies for setting up community radio stations from 50 per cent to 90 per cent for the northeastern states and 75 per cent in other states subject to a maximum limit of Rs 7.5 lakh.

She said: “The time has come to put laws, ethics and rules into place which will help in balancing the media industry, so that one dominant player doesn’t rule the roost.”

According to her, the power of radio in today’s digitised world is such that the Prime Minister reaches out to every citizen through his programme “Mann Ki Baat” which is transmitted simultaneously in 24 languages and reaches around 86.88 per cent of the population.

In the inaugural session of the three-day event, the Minister said the media industry had a great role in India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“While the direct estimated impact of our media industry is close to Rs 1.35 lakh crore, but if you look at the indirect and induced benefits, our media industry today has an output of Rs 4.5 lakh crore which amounts to 2.9 per cent of India’s GDP with close to four million people associated with it.

“It is one of the fastest growing advertising markets, expected to touch 10.59 billion dollars by the end of 2018 and the mobile spend is estimated to grow to 1.55 billion dollars in 2019,” Irani said.

Talking about government’s interventions and how the government was supporting the media industry in India, Irani said: “The FDI limit has been increased to 100 per cent in our cable and DTH satellite platforms.”

“Today, we have close to 323 FM channels operational in our country. And, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have just paved the way for the auction of 363 channels now in 236 cities in the subsequent batches this year.”

Over the emerging media scenario, Irani said that India is poised to have over 969 million internet users. “The media has become consumer centric. That is one of the changes that the digital industry has brought into the media field.”

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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