Never known to be nimble-footed, Prasar Bharati, the body that operates state broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) launched a mobile application for its news channel on Thursday.

Minister of information and broadcasting (I&B) Arun Jaitley said at the launch that this was a significant milestone as the app will address the changing profile of viewers who today seek information on mobile devices.

“The app will cater to the information needs of the pan-Indian audience. It also provides DD News a platform to instantly communicate objective news on a 24x7 basis and adds a new dimension to its profile in addressing the vast needs of the Indian audience," he said.

All private television news channels in India have mobile apps with news broadcaster New Delhi Television Ltd’s (NDTV) news app being the most popular.

The DD app currently available on Android phones has features like live TV, news feed and a pre-loaded video news archive. “Their capability would depend on objectivity and constant updating," said the minister.

Jaitely said that one of the aims of Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) is to have the largest width of coverage and to report facts.

While there is a value for “competitive news" or “anchor-driven news", he said, there is also a huge space and “almost a starvation" for just the facts. In this situation, the viewer has to change his habits, Jaitley said. “There is a need to know about the world, politics, economy and what is happening all over India, which is not just Lutyens’ Delhi," the minister added.

Prasar Bharati said the DD News app works even in poor network conditions.

Minister of state for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore, I&B secretary Bimal Julka and Prasar Bharati chief executive Jawhar Sircar were among others present at the event.

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