As children, watching the wildlife in their natural habitat on National Geographic Channel was both entertaining and fascinating. The fearsome Royal Bengal Tiger would warily aim at its prey – usually, a deer sauntering in the grasses – as the narrator would try to decode every little move the wild cat would make. Or, the langoor would fondle its adorable-looking offspring as the parent-and-child duo would rapidly wriggle their sight sitting off a tree branch. Discovery Channel would show the vast Thar Desert looking a bewitching golden on the TV screen. No matter what these channels broadcasted back then, and still do, the excellent picture quality and narrative make their programmes extremely delightful to watch.
On that note, India will soon launch its very own channel to showcase the amazing flora and fauna spread throughout the Country’s varying topography. ‘DD Prakriti’ is a venture under the third National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) for 2017-2031 that was launched by Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on the inaugural day of Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) conference that was held last month, reported The Better India. As the name suggests, the channel is a collaborative project of Doordarshan with Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and likely to be launched in the coming year.
The Indian Express reported NWAP’s comment that ‘the country is in the “midst of great socio-economic changes which are bound to have significant impacts on the wildlife conservation scenario”’, adding that ’“nature literacy” is “one way to ensure that such impacts don’t turn negative”.’ Clearly, the aim of this channel is to not only map the state of the Country’s flora and fauna, but also broadcast the same to generate both awe and awareness. The exclusive channel shall promote ‘Conservation Education, Nature Interpretation and Outreach (CENIO)’ in the country, along with giving a platform to Indian filmmakers and encourage the use of electronic and social media for their cause.
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