After a long gap of almost 20 years, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has sent a proposal to the Union Public Service Commission for reviewing of the Departmental Promotion Committee for the year 1990 to 1993 for promotion of programme executives and other feeder grades of the Indian Broadcasting (Programme) Service.

           The much-delayed action has been taken on the directions of the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in New Delhi for promotions to Junior Time Scale of the IB(P)S.

           The proposal would be subject to further review on the basis of revised and updated seniority list of feeder grades of JTS of IB(P)S to be prepared by the Directorate General, All India Radio.

          The proposal for subsequent years would be taken up in continuation of the final review of the 1990 to 1993 cases.

        The sources claimed that the delay in regular DPC meetings was due to various Court directions.

       However, Prasar Bharati sources confirmed that the delay had been largely because of the delay in drawing up the Recruitment Rules for different cadres since the enactment of the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 in September 1997 and the formation of the pubcaster.

       Earlier this year, Prasar Bharati had been reprimanded by a Parliamentary Committee for its lethargy in not finalising recruitment rules and failing to make recruitment in the IB(P) Service started in 1990 to train a separate cadre of employees for All India Radio and Doordarshan.

       The Committee on Empowerment of Women in a strongly-worded Action Taken Report said it is "extremely unhappy with the callous approach of Prasar Bharati" and added that "after having a recruitment holiday of about twenty years, the Organisation cannot afford to sink into further lethargy in finalizing recruitment rules."

         The Committee viewed the delay seriously and reiterated that the recruitment process should not be delayed any further. All pre-requisites to initiate the process should be completed on a war footing, it added.

          The remarks were made by the Committee which had exactly a year earlier given its report on ‘Working Conditions of women in Prasar Bharati’ and has now expressed regret that action has not been taken on many of the recommendations. Asking for ‘utmost importance’ to be given to the recommendations, the Action Taken Report says the Government should inform the Committee wherever it finds it difficult to implement any recommendation in letter and spirit, with reasons for non-implementation.