Government launches Broadcast Seva Portal for TV, radio stations

With an aim to open a "new chapter" in Ease of Doing Business in the Broadcasting sector, the Government on Monday launched the 'Broadcast Seva Portal', an online portal solution for speedy filing and processing of applications for various kinds of licences, permissions and registrations among other services.

The portal is expected to provide a 360-degree solution to over 900 Satellite TV channels, over 70 teleport operators, over 1,750 multi-service operators, over 350 community radio stations (CRS) and over 380 private FM channels.

It would provide online facilities to the applicants for seeking permissions, subsequent change in permissions and payment of fee. It will also provide faceless communication between the applicant and different stakeholders for faster processing of applications.

Launching the portal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that it would bring transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the ecosystem and it would soon be linked to the government’s flagship 'National Single Window System'.

"Government has harnessed technology to bring transparency in the system and make it more accountable. The Broadcast Seva Portal will reduce the turnaround time of applications and at the same time will help applicants track the progress. This portal will reduce the human interface that was required earlier and thus add to capacity building of the Ministry and will be a major step towards Ease of Doing Business," he said.

He said the 360-degree digital solution will facilitate the stakeholders in seeking permissions, applying for registration, tracking applications, calculating fees and executing payments. This portal will provide its services under the wider umbrella efforts of Digital India to all stakeholders to private satellite TV channels, teleport operators, MSOs, community and private radio channels, he said.

He said it is expected that this will boost the business environment and empower the entire broadcast sector.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said the new portal has several improvements over the previous version and has incorporated suggestions from stakeholders over a trial period of one month.

Information and Broadcasting Joint Secretary Vikram Sahay said they were moving from a unidimensional static portal to a multi-dimensional dynamic portal that the players in the sector would find useful.

He said the portal has been developed in cooperation with Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd, a Mini-Ratna PSU, and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

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