Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said on Saturday that the media needs to introspect its role if wrong perceptions are being created.

Thakur was speaking at a function on the occasion of National Broadcasting Day, which is celebrated every year on July 23 to mark the first-ever radio broadcast in India that went on air from the Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927.

Sounding a cautious note to the media, Thakur said, “If somewhere a wrong perception is getting created about private media with utterances of ‘media trails’, we need to introspect about our functioning.”

Thakur also said that while some people had surmised that radio will face an existential crisis with the advent of television and subsequently internet, the medium has not only identified its audience, but also maintained its relevance and credibility.

“When people want to listen to unbiased news, they naturally tune into All India Radio and Doordarshan news. Ninety-two per cent of the country’s geography is covered by the All India Radio, which is a commendable achievement,” he said.

Speaking on the importance of radio as a platform, the minister said that many Prime Ministers have come but none saw the value of radio as Narendra Modi who made it a platform of choice for his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme to connect directly with the people of the country.

Crediting the role of the two entities — AIR and Doordarshan — in delivering the essence of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Thakur said, “When the education system since Independence did not mention the role of many regional freedom fighters, AIR and Doordarshan curated information about over 500 unsung heroes from the remotest corners of the country and presented them to the nation, celebrating their contribution to India’s freedom struggle.”

Thakur also released promos of new serials on Doordarshan– �Corporate Sarpanch: Beti Desh Ki, Jai Bharati’, �Suron ka Eklavya’ and �Ye Dil Mange More’ as well as the promo of �Startup Champions 2.0′.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, conveyed his best wishes to the audience on the occasion of National Broadcasting Day. Murugan highlighted the important role played by radio during the freedom struggle when many freedom fighters employed it as a tool for communication against the imperial British government.