Reduced BBC Hindi service will increase mistrust in India: Critics

London, Mar. 28 (ANI): Critics such as noted author Vikram Seth have described the BBC's decision to scale back its Hindi short wave radio service as a great disservice to its listeners, and predicted that it will lead to "a great loss of goodwill and increase of mistrust in India".

The station, which broadcasts to over ten million listeners across the world's biggest democracy, was earmarked for closure as part of plans to shave 20 per cent from the World Service's 253 million pound annual budget.

It was granted a late reprieve only after a high-profile campaign by leading cultural figures, The Independent reports.

As the one-year race to secure commercial funding begins, the station has reduced its output from four daily programs to a single one-hour news broadcast. Should a plan not be found by next March, the station plans to cease transmission.

Yesterday leading figures called for the old programming schedule to be reinstated.

Seth said: "Before listeners have given up or turned away, a morning program should quickly be reinstated, and it should be affirmed in no uncertain terms that the BBC intends to keep its short wave Hindi programs going - not merely for a year."

The majority of BBC Hindi service listeners are from rural areas such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Pawan Kumar Gupta, a 29-year old teacher in Hindaun, Rajasthan, was quoted, as saying that the station had helped him with his university entrance exams.

"The magic was in experts giving their opinions on everything from science to sports. This is what makes it so good. We don't have a better medium here for knowledge," he said.

Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the service "has a major impact in India's politics and is popular in rural areas".

Mark Tully, the BBC's long-time India correspondent, said the decision to drop to a one-hour program was "evidence that Britain doesn't care very much about India".

Amit Baruah, the head of BBC Hindi, said he was confident that the station could make a "successful transition" into the digital and mobile market, regardless of whether or not it could secure commercial funding. (ANI)