I&B Ministry waives processing fee for devotional TV channels

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has waived the processing fee for temporary uplinking and downlinking of devotional TV channels, sources said Saturday.

Last year, the government imposed the processing fee for non-news channels, with national TV channels being asked to pay Rs 1 lakh for temporary uplinking and downlinking, while for regional channels the fee was Rs 50,000.

The devotional TV channels were paying the amount stipulated for regional channels -- Rs 50,000, the sources said.

The ministry approved the waiving off the fee for temporary uplinking and downlinking of devotional TV channels Friday, they said.

Yoga guru Ramdev thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on behalf of the saint community for waiving off the fee by the government on devotional channels.

Morari Bapu, renowned exponent of the Ramcharitmanas who recites kathas world over, also lauded the government for the decision.