NEW DELHI: The gross viewership of Doordarshan’s national channel in 2016 was 172 million per week as compared to 133 million per week in 2015 and 155 million per week in 2014.

Minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore has told the Parliament that the computation had been done under the New Consumer Classification System (NCCS).

Being a public service broadcaster, the minister said in reply to a question that the pubcaster cannot therefore be guided purely by Commercial motive to produce high TRP ratings programmes.

Section 12 of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act 1990, the primary duty of the Corporation is to organise and conduct public broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain the public.

In accordance with these objectives, Doordarshan produces programmes encompassing the objectives of public service broadcasting.

He said that DD telecasts a variety of programmes for viewers in rural areas through its entire network of 23 Satellite channels (24X7) including six National, one International, and 16 RLSS (Regional Language Satellite Services) channels.

Apart from this, Doordarshan has launched DD Kisan Channel to meet the special requirement of farmers and viewers in rural areas. Its programme content includes core agriculture, weather, rural development and entertainment for the benefit of viewers in general and farming and rural community in particular.