2 TV channels launched to drive scientific temperament in India

In a bid to popularise science, Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday launched two TV channels -- DD Science and India Science -- with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Doordarshan (DD), Prasar Bharati.

"The launch of these two channels is a watershed moment not only in science and technology communication but in developing the scientific temper of our society," Vardhan said while addressing the media at Doordarshan Bhavan here.

DD Science is a one-hour show on Doordarshan National channel. It will be telecast from Monday to Saturday between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. India Science is an Internet-based channel, which is available on any Internet-enabled device, and will offer live, scheduled play and video-on-demand services.

Recalling Doordarshan's role in the 1990 Pulse Polio campaign, Vardhan said Doordarshan, which reaches out to over 92 per cent of India's population, would be a very impactful medium for the popularisation of science.

"By 2030 we have to be in the top three countries in science and technology and such initiatives are building blocks towards that," he said.

The channels have been conceived and supported by the DST and are being implemented and managed by Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous organisation of DST.

"While India Science (www.indiascience.in) already has a 24x7 presence, DD Science may also be scaled up to a full-fledged channel in the future," Ministry of Science and Technology said in a release.

The two channels, it said, will have science-based documentaries, studio-based discussions, and virtual walkthroughs of scientific institutions, interviews and short films and will be completely free to access.

The inauguration programme and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Vigyan Prasar and Doordarshan was attended by Secretary DST Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary Information and Broadcasting Amit Khare, Director General Doordarshan Supriya Sahu, CEO of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Director Vigyan Prasar Nakul Parashar and senior officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

--IANS

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