DD logo changes colour again, goes saffron

Former Prasar Bharti CEO and TMC MP Jawhar Sircar has criticized the recent change in the logo of DD News, the government's primary news channel. The channel's new logo, unveiled on Tuesday, has shifted from ruby red to saffron, sparking controversy.

DD News defended the alteration as a mere adjustment in "visual aesthetics," but Sircar questioned the timing of this change during the Lok Sabha polls. Expressing concern over what he perceives as the channel's "saffronisation," Sircar remarked, "It's not Prasar Bharati anymore, it's Prachar (publicity) Bharati!"

According to officials cited in an Indian Express report, when Doordarshan was inaugurated in 1959, its logo featured saffron. Over time, the colors evolved to blue, yellow, and red, though the two petals surrounding a globe remained constant. The channel's earlier motto, "Satyam Shivam Sundaram," has been omitted from the recent logo.

This controversy follows a recent directive by the Centre mandating Doordarshan news anchors to wear Khadi attire, aligning with a September 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between Prasar Bharati and Khadi India.

Additionally, DD News has announced plans to broadcast the morning prayers offered to the Ram Lalla idol daily.