DigiShala: The new 24/7 gov TV channel for cashless lessons

In another step to push digital transactions, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) launched a TV channel named 'DigiShala'.

It is supposed to be a 24-hour channel, 365 days a year. However, as of now, it has only three to four hours of original content. It is a satellite channel but airing it is not mandatory for the service provider and direct-to-home (DTH) customers may opt for it.

The channel would be managed by Doordarshan (DD) and piggyback on its infrastructure. According to ministry sources, money has not been allocated for operating the channel and it would use DD's resources.

On original content, it would run videos produced by various departments, such as the rural development ministry or NITI Aayog, mostly talking about ways of digitising various types of payments, explaining the usage of point-of-sale machines and the benefits of Aadhaar-based payments, among other things.

Yet, all that would make only around four hours of original content. "So, we would run that for the time being in a loop. This is more about educating people and playing in a loop helps but more would come in time," said a senior official.

Sources added that the new channel might also talk to outside production houses. "We might outsource content as well but all these things would be decided in due time," said an official.

The other targeted government-run channel, DD Kisan, dedicated to agriculture, had an allocation of Rs 60 crore for 2016-17 from the information and broadcasting ministry.

"Not much capital is required to produce education content. In DD Kisan, a lot of site visits need to be done; here, it is not the case. Also, we hope that we would soon start getting advertisements, creating a steady stream of revenue," added the official.

 

DigiShala is a free-to-air channel, broadcast nationally on the DD free-DTH service. To achieve the objective of educating, enabling and informing citizens about a cashless economy, the government has also initiated a 'Digi Dhan Abhiyan'.

"DigiShala will enable and empower every citizen of the country, especially farmers, students, dalits and women in rural areas, to learn the usefulness and benefits of digital payment in our everyday life," Ravi Shankar Prasad, the MeitY minister told reporters here while inaugurating the channel.

Prasad said as digital payments increased, the tax base of the nation will increase. "It will make the whole nation honest, as tax will be paid and the country's GDP will go up," he added.

On DigiShala, citizens will be informed and educated about various digital payment options through step by step demos of digital payments using UPI, USSD, Aadhaar-enabled payment systems, e-wallets and cards.