This Independence Day, public broadcaster Doordarshan appears to be going all out to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen on television like never before when he delivers his speech from the rampart of the Red Fort. In a first for an Independence Day coverage, DD will deploy a camera-mounted hydraulic ladder that can go up to a height of 80 feet. “This camera will provide a frontal view of the PM with the Red Fort in the background. Till date, only side views of the PM have been aired. It is for the first time that this camera will show the PM from the front while delivering an Independence Day speech,” a government source said. [related-post] The Information & Broadcasting Ministry, it is learnt, has proposed that Doordarshan be allowed to capture aerial shots of the Red Fort ceremony using a helicopter. Sources said that while the Defence Ministry has agreed “in principle” to this, various security concerns are being ironed out before letting a chopper fly over Red Fort during the programme. Watch Video App users click here to watch “Even if we get the permission to use a chopper to get aerial shots, the chopper will only fly past when the PM is not speaking because the noise it will make will disrupt the PM’s speech. Also, the aerial shots taken from the chopper will not be live but recorded due to technical and logistical reasons,” a Doordarshan official said. Despite security agencies in favour of a bulletproof screen, the PM — like last Independence Day — is likely to speak from the podium without one, sources said. DD will deploy as many as 20 cameras to cover the function at the Red Fort. “We are also going to deploy cameras atop the two minarets of the Red Fort to get aerial views,” an official said. With DD News deciding to cover the function with commentary accompanied by sign language interpretation, the I&B ministry has issued an advisory to private broadcasters to carry DD News feed — which the news channel will provide free of cost — to help people with a hearing impairment. The ministry is also likely to issue print advertisements worth Rs 6 crore to highlight the NDA government’s achievements so far.
