The Doordarshan Kendra in Ranchi. Telegraph picture

Ranchi, April 18: Besides producing programmes and preparing news capsules, Doordarshan Centre, Ranchi, is preparing young boys and girls for a career in video production.

In 2006, Doordarshan mandarins had accepted the proposal by former station director V.C. Gupta to allow mass communication students to intern at the centre. Gupta’s proposal was prompted by a request from St Xavier’s College. Since then, over a 100 students have interned here.

Earlier, Doordarshan centres permitted only technical training to engineering students. “But now Doordarshan centres all over the country have started allowing students as interns,” said Subodh Kumar, the senior programme executive and co-ordinator of the video production programme.

As part of their internship, students learn studio set up, newsroom set up, live transmission, non-linear and linear editing.

“We have trained students from colleges and institutes in Jamshedpur, Durgapur, Bangalore and Ranchi in the basics of television production,” said Kumar. Here students can also avail of facilities and equipment that other institutes cannot afford, he added.

However, students have to pay a course fee of Rs 500 per week for the internship programme, which could be extended to a maximum period of eight weeks.

The fees is collected at the centre but sent to the directorate and certificates are issued on the successful completion of the course.

What interests programme executives is the teaching opportunity that comes with the initiative.

“Teaching and interacting with young and enthusiastic minds have brought out the best in some of the executives,” Kumar said.