Bangladesh Betar and All India Radio have agreed to share transmission slots of two hours each in the morning and evening for broadcast of programmes highlighting commonalities between the two countries in various fields, officials said. The decision taken at a meeting in Kolkata on Wednesday brings India and Bangladesh a step closer towards implementing the decision made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in June, 2015 on sharing of audio content between the state broadcasters of the two countries.
A meeting between the delegations of Prasar Bharati (All India Radio) and Bangladesh Betar was held in Kolkata wherein the modalities for implementation of the MoU signed between the two state broadcasters earlier in April 2018 have been worked out, said the officials. As per the decisions taken in the meeting, Bangladesh Betar and All India Radio (AIR) have agreed to share transmission slots of two hours each in the morning and evening for broadcast of programmes highlighting commonalities in the fields of art, culture, literature and history, among others, for the benefit of Bangla-speaking population in both the countries, AIR officials said.
A decision was taken during the 2015 visit of Prime Minister Modi to Bangladesh that both the state TV and radio shall jointly undertake production of programmes which are meaningful and utilitarian in nature for citizens in both the countries. Among other things, a decision was also taken that AIR and Bangladesh Betar shall make special programmes during the forthcoming birth centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman and India's role in the liberation of Bangladesh, officials said.
It was also decided that a series-based music reality shows and works of contemporary litterateurs of both the countries shall also be produced and broadcast. A grand roll out event will be organized in Dhaka in the second week of November, officials said. Officials indicated this new collaborative platform between these two countries may be further strengthened with the sharing of transmission slots and road map for joint production which was worked out on Thursday’s meeting.
The Director General of Bangladesh Betar, Narayan Chandra Shill, expressed his satisfaction with the decisions taken and pointed out that the listeners in Bangladesh are very keen to receive content from AIR.
