s

Prasar Bharati asked to raise own finances from April 1

The employees of ‘autonomous’ Prasar Bharati won’t remain government employees from now onwards. According to sources in the I&B ministry, the Government of India has asked Prasar Bharati Corporation to maintain its finances separately from April 1, this year.

The selection committee of Prasar Bharati has been asked to appoint members, both finance and personnel, for the Prasar Bharati Board. These posts have been lying vacant.
After almost three years, when the government reconstituted the new Prasar Bharati Board, the I&B ministry will start maintaining its separate account from April 1.

The I&B ministry has allocated an annual budget of Rs.1400 crore. The earnings of Prasar Bharati (about Rs.500 crore) is included in this budget. The ministry of Information and Broadcasting is of the opinion that Prasar Bharati Corporation should raise its revenue to run the organisation properly. This means that Prasar Bharati will get about Rs.900 crore from government annually and rest of its expenses will be from its own resources.

Meanwhile I&B ministry has asked the personnel department of government of India to select experts of finance and personnel.

The personnel department has distributed the circular among various government departments so that interested people can apply for the post. The ranks of member (Finance) and member (Personnel) will be at par with the rank of additional secretary in the government of India.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has also decided to shift the employees of Doordarshan and All India Radio to Prasar Bharati Corporation. All the employees of DD and AIR will have an option either to shift to Prasar Bharati Corporation or remain as the employees of Information and Broadcasting ministry. The salary, allowance and other rules and regulation of Prasar Bharati Corporation have not been decided yet. If any employee decides to shift to Prasar Bharati Corporation, he or she will not get government accommodation.

Government has not decided the future of officials of Indian Information series, who are running All India Radio and also some important portfolios of Doordarshan. Whether they will be considered government employees on deputation in Prasar Bharati is still to be clarified by the government. In that case, the official won’t get any deputation allowance.

Amitabh Parashar