Govt to build Soochna Bhavans in 12 state capitals in biggest regional media push in years: Report
New Delhi: In one of its most ambitious regional media outreach initiatives in recent years, the Centre plans to construct Soochna Bhavans in twelve state capitals, aimed at strengthening communication with regional press and consolidating government media units under one roof, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
The move, proposed by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry, comes against the backdrop of key state elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
According to the ministry’s proposal, the Soochna Bhavan will be modelled on Delhi’s National Media Centre and house multiple media wings — including the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Publications Division and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The first phase will cover Lucknow, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Each Soochna Bhavan is expected to cost around Rs 40 crore, taking the total project outlay to about Rs 480 crore.
Designed as ground-plus-four-floor structures, the complexes will feature auditoriums for press conferences and screenings, workstations for journalists, e-libraries, VIP lounges, and welfare amenities such as crèches and gyms. They will also incorporate green building features like solar panels, rainwater harvesting and energy-efficient lighting.
The ministry has proposed state-of-the-art infrastructure, including modular workstations, high-speed internet, secure servers, CCTV surveillance, access control, baggage scanners and IP-based EPABX systems. Built on vacant All India Radio or Doordarshan campuses, the facilities will be centrally located for easier access, the report added.
Currently, most I&B media units are scattered across cities, often in rented private premises far from state government offices. “This leads to poor execution of tasks related to dissemination of information or executing government campaigns at the state or regional levels,” TIE quoted an official as saying.
A PIB-designated nodal officer will coordinate with stakeholders on approvals, while central and state-level panels will clear the final building layouts.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
ALSO READ: Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
