THE     MINISTER     OF     STATE     IN     THE     MINISTRY     OF INFORMATION  AND  BROADCASTING  (SHRI  CHOUDHURY  MOHAN JATUA) moving the motion for consideration of the Bill, said: I seek the indulgence of the hon. Members of this august House regarding a long pending issue in Prasar Bharati about the ambiguity in the status of employees arising out of non-implementation of Section 11 of Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 came into effect on 23-11-1997. However, the section 11 of the Act has not been implemented till date, i.e. the option under section 11 has not been called for from the employees for becoming employees of the Corporation, as there was stiff resistance from the employees for the same. The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2011 is the outcome of the exhaustive exercise taken up by the Government on the recommendations of the GOM to streamline the functioning of Prasar Bharati.

 

The amendment of section 11 of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 will settle the issue relating to the status of employees of Prasar Bharati, which remained uncertain for more than 14 years. Once the amendment is done, it will enable all the regular employees belonging to the cadre borne on Akashvani and Doordarshan who were recruited before 23-11-1997 i.e. the appointed day and in service of the Corporation on 1-4-2000 and those recruited between 23-11-1997 and 5-10-2007

to serve in Prasar Bharati on deemed deputation till retirement and to get all facilities such as Government accommodation, CGHS facility etc at par with the Central Government employees.

The amendments also seek to create an enabling provision in Section 11 for the IIS, CSS and other service officers, who belong to the cadres outside Prasar Bharati, for being posted in the Corporation on the terms and conditions to be determined by the Central Government through rules. The proposed amendments will have a significant impact in removing the ambiguity about the status of employees. This would certainly instill a sense of security in the minds of employees working in Prasar Bharati.

 

SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI: AIR and Doordarshan are the voice of India, which have now come to be known as Prasar Bharati Broadcasting Corporation of India. In 1990, the Prasar Bharati Act was enacted and formally it was formed in 1997. If section 11 in the original Act of 1990 was implemented where option was given to the employees, probably this situation would not have arisen. After the intervention of various High Courts and the Supreme Court, now they are on deemed deputation and to a major extent the problem of the employees has been addressed. There are a number of work charge employees in civil construction wing of AIR who are given all government facilities. Therefore, the Standing Committee recommended that these work charged employees should be

regularized before bringing amendment to the Act. Another issue is regarding the employees. People went to court when the Government did not use the provisions of Article 11 in the original Act. Now, this amendment is being brought to put a full stop to the unrest among the employees. This is a good relief. The recognition of employees association is pending for so many years. Even the Prasar Bharati DG has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that the recognition process should be expedited. The recognition of labour and their redressal system is their right. Why is the Government and the Ministry is sitting over it for the last so many years? The Minister should assure the House that it will be expedited. If the process of recognition begins, there will be a couple of associations through which the Minister can negotiate their problem and for everything they need not come to the Government and in real terms Prasar Bharati will become autonomous. What is the position of Prasar Bharati today? For the past so many months, there is no CEO for Prasar Bharati. The total sanctioned strength of Prasar Bharati is 48,000 out of which 12,000 posts are vacant. There are around 1200 posts of Station Directors in the country out of which only 69 Station Directors are working in the country. Without the Station Directors, you are running Doordarshan Centres and the AIR Centres. Then, how do you expect them to perform well? The experience of the entire country in the past several years about Prasar Bharati is that it has failed to accomplish its basic objective. Its

credibility has gone down to such a low level that it is full of controversies, mismanagement, corruption and adhocism. The former CEO of Prasar Bharati was also involved in the CWG Scam. The Government is ready to invest Rs. 45 crore and has all technical skills, staff then why it is going to be outsourced or privatized. Its reach should go to the every nook and corner of the country. But, it has utterly failed today to reflect the real nationalism and upheld the culture of the country. Folk art is not at all the priority for the Prasar Bharati. Recording sections of the classical music have almost closed and Aakashwani Sangeet Sammelan have been discontinued. Hindustani and Karnataka classical music are almost on the verge of the closure. The reason what is being given is that this does not generate any revenue. If we want to attain real autonomy, we should provide funds, make it real autonomous and bring it to the standards of BBC. More and more Programme Generating Centres should be there in the country. I have been pressing for the Programme Generating Centres of Doordarshan since 2005 in Hubli, Dharwad in North Karnataka to reflect the culture, tradition and art of the region. Government should remove regional imbalance. The Nanjundappa Committee has also recommended for this. The position of the work-charged employees should also be made clear.

 

CHAUDHARY LAL SINGH: Jammu and Kashmir has three specific regions, each having its own culture, food habits and languages. The competence

of the personnel are not checked while inducting them on deputation. If the employee does not know or has the understanding of the local language, he cannot interact properly with the people of the region. Most of the Radio Stations in the State are lying closed. The programmes are being aired only for half-an-hour or two hours sometimes in the night. What is the use for having such vast infrastructure? The strength of the staff is also short and they are also not properly harnessed. The Caste war is being aired on various TV Channels and aspersions are being cast against several castes. It seems that most of the TV Serials are, in fact, a mockery. The scene depicting militants or terrorists are repeatedly telecast but the scene of patriotism are barely shown. The things which are against the unity or integrity of the nation or casting aspersions should be checked. There should be a specific time limit for TV telecast. The indecent late night programmes should be banned. There was demand for abolition of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. By doing this, they are discouraging the Army, the country and the patriots. The patriots should be encouraged while traitors ought to be discouraged. No anti-national news should get published. Make the people of India patriots and able to serve the country. The vacant posts should immedatiely be filled with the trained personnel.

 

SHRI SHAILENDRA KUMAR: The Bill has been brought to make Prasar Bharti and Doordarshan a self-dependent body. There are nearly 38,000

employees in Prasar Bharati. If we make an assessment of the level of competition between Doordarshan and other private channels, then we will find that Doordarshan is at the lowest level. Doordarshan, a Government Channel, has a meagre 1.2 per cent of market share as compared to 22.5 per cent for Star Plus, a private channel. This is a big gap. The Government should make a sincere effort to bridge this gap. During the Commonwealth Games, the U.K. based Best Company was awarded the contracts worth Rs.246 crores rupees and the Government suffered a loss of 100 crore rupees. The Government should take cognizance of this loss. The transfer and posting of the employees has been extensively dealt in this Bill. Prasar Bharti needs over-hauling. There is nepotism prevailing in the Board. There is a need for constituting a new empowered Board by dissolving the existing Board. Today, nobody prefers to watch Doordarshan as it is boring and non-revenue generating channel also. People prefer to watch private channels. The Government should pay attention to make the Government Channels competitive and to resolve the grievances of the employees.

 

SHRI VIJAY BAHADUR SINGH: There are nearly 38,000 personnel but their service conditions are not clear. They are being inducted on deputation basis. It means that they have loyalty to and lien in their parent cadre. They will not perform well. The Act is against the letter and spirit of what was observed by the Hon. Supreme Court. There is a section 11 which has been amended and it is

envisaged that the personnel on deputation in Prasar Bharati will be deemed as the employees of Prasar Bharati. But, they are on deputation for ever. The service conditions must have provisions for fixed and secure service tenure. The employees who have been working with Doordarshan for the last 12 years are still temporary. They can be dismissed from service on the notice of one month period. It must be understood that the Government had recommended in the year 2007 that “All officer and employees recruited for the purpose of Akashvani and Doordarshan before the appointed date and in service of the Corporation on the 1^st day of April, 2000 shall be deemed to be on deputation with the Corporation with effect from 1^st April, 2000 and shall continue till the date of retirement. It means they will continue as temporary employees from the beginning to the end of their career. Whereas all the officers of Indian Information Service will be protected. So my suggestion is that the Government amend this Bill and ensure the security of tenure in the terms and conditions of the employees.

 

SHRI VISHWA MOHAN KUMAR: This Bill deals with the status of employees working with Prasar Bharati and I support the provisions of this Bill. Besides, when the issue of irregularities in Prasar Bharati came to light, the then Director, Prasar Bharati, had to be removed through court. This question must be kept in mind. There is an imperative need to constitute a Parliamentary Committee on Prasar Bharati. The aim behind the setting up of Prasar Bharati was to provide

reliable information to the viewers, which, unfortunately, has not been realized as of yet. This corporation is not financially viable also. The reason is that the Prasar Bharati has been left behind in the age of liberalization. So, we must strive to set it right.

 

I would like to draw your attention to an important problem that there have been 250 contractual employees working in DD News for the last nine or ten years. These employees are not getting any facility, which other government employees are getting. The same situation prevails in Akashwani also. This is a serious issue. Therefore, I would like to request the hon. Minister that the contractual employees working with Akashwani and Doordarshan should be regularized and they should be given facilities in the lines of Prasar Bharati employees. A Doordarshan Kendra was set up in Supaul, Sehrsa 20-25 years ago but it is still not functioning properly. Therefore, I wish that this Bill should be amended and passed.

 

DR. RATNA DE: With the passage of this Bill, Prasar Bharati would be having disciplinary and supervisory powers and it will help the officers and employees serving in Akashvani and Doordarshan to go on transfer to Prasar Bharati. I endorse this step taken by the Government and fully support this Bill.

 

SK. SAIDUL HAQUE: This Bill seeks to settle the long pending issue of the status of employees working in Prasar Bharati. So I do support the provisions of the Bill. But I have some reservations also regarding the functioning of Prasar

Bharati and the role of the Central Government as contained in the Bill. The Bill gives Prasar Bharati the disciplinary and supervisory powers. But the Central Government has the power to impose compulsory retirement or dismissal from service. I have the apprehension that this may enable the Ruling Party to interfere in the functioning of the autonomous Corporation. That is to be looked into. So I suggest that there be made ‘Parliamentary Committee’ and ‘Broadcasting Council’ because it is already there in the Bill and the Parliament has passed it which has not been implemented for the reason best known to the Government. I would also request the Government to give immediate recognition to the nine associations representing employees of AIR and Doordarshan. Most of these associations are functioning for the last forty or fifty years. But on 8^th September, 2011, Prasar Bharati declared that no association is recognized in Prasar Bharati. This expresses the authoritarian attitude of the authority. I would also request that the promotional aspects of the employees should be also kept in mind. Almost 12,000 posts are vacant in AIR and Doordarshan. These posts should be filled up on priority basis. Reservation roaster should also be maintained. Let there be no effort on the part of the Government to outsource broadcasting and telecasting works, particularly in the most sensitive areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern Region. We all admit that the Public Service Broadcaster must disseminate the culture, tradition and heritage of our great nation. The private channels are

now aimed at profit. Sometimes, many of them display vulgar scenes and concocted facts. I would request the hon. Minister to look into the matter. Today, the Doordarshan channels are available in every nook and corner of this country. I would request the hon. Minister to see that in giving programme, quality must be maintained. Prasar Bharati, particularly Doordarshan should reach all the sections of the society, particularly to the younger generation, but not at the cost of moral values and ethics. I am now coming to the financial viability of Prasar Bharati. How can that be achieved without Government’s support? So, the Government should come with positive steps for making it viable and Prasar Bharati Management should play effective role.

 

SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY: We have all got together here to discuss about the Bill which has been a longstanding dream of freedom-loving and democratic people of India. This amendment is primarily about the service conditions of employees there, who have been sent on deputation. We all understand that when you send people on deputation, they are unaware as to who their real bosses are and the commitment of the work would definitely suffer because there is no love for the post since there is no security in that post. It is obvious that you have to give them some security and in that situation, it is necessary that the Government comes out clean what its intentions are.

^*SHRI M. ANANDAN:

 

SHRI PRABODH PANDA: This Prasar Bharati Amendment Bill is basically related to the status of the employees and officers. The unions of different categories agitated across the country. Several times, they had meetings with the Minister and it was told to them that the EGOM has been constituted and they will resolve the problem. After a long waiting, now this Bill has come. But, Sir, my point is that there is an anomaly. Why such an anomaly is there? The Bill amends the provisions to state that all posts in Akashvani and Doordarshan other than some specified posts shall be deemed to have been transferred to the Prasar Bharati with effect from April, 2000. All employees and officers recruited in Akashvani or Doordarshan shall be on deemed deputation till their retirement if they are appointed before the 1^st day of April, 2000. But, persons recruited after October 5, 2007 shall be officers and employees of Prasar Bharati and these officers and employees shall be entitled to receive the pay benefits as are received by the Central Government employees. Why is there such an anomaly? Why the same benefit cannot be enjoyed by all the categories whether they have been recruited before 1^st April, 2000 or not? One more point is that the benefits which are being enjoyed by the technicians of the Technical Wing are not being enjoyed by the employees in the Civil Wing. This problem has been brought before the

 

^*  Please see Supplement.

Government several times. But there is hardly any commitment, any provision from the Government in this regard. After a long interval you have come out with a Bill explaining the status of the employees. But, anomalies about their service condition will discriminate and divide the employees.

 

SHRI R. THAMARAISELVAN: I rise to support the Bill in view of the fact that the Bill will settle long standing issues of employees working in the Prasar Bharati. The amendments envisaged in the Bill are commendable. All of us are aware that the public service broadcaster plays a key role in the society, especially in a thriving democracy. The public service broadcaster must be accountable directly to its owner that is the citizens of our country. It should be self-sufficient in all respects and must generate funds to functions independently in a real sense through quality programmes. In All-India Radio, the percentage of the women employees is very low which is about 25.4 percent. This percentage should be increased. There is also a fact that the manpower for the broadcast and telecast is very low and there is a need to enhance the manpower at all radio stations and televisions centres. The plight of temporary employees is also known to everyone and they are not permanent so far. So, they should be made permanent. Without sufficient manpower, no organization or institution can function effectively. Another area where the All-India Broadcasting Corporation should take care of is pertaining to staff training to engineering personnel. Here, I would like to make a

suggestion that there is a strong need to set-up a training center in Chennai with a library to provide training to all sections of employees of Broadcasting Corporation. In 1993, a decision was taken to set up a radio station at Dharmapuri and that station came up in the year 2000 at the cost of Rs.9 crore. The trial broadcast was conducted on the Independence Day of the year 2000. This trial broadcast continued till 2007 and thereafter, it was stopped due to lack of employees. However, this station was linked with the Chennai Rainbow FM Station. Now, the programme is being broadcast from 6:00 am to 12:00 noon, only for six hours. The people of my Constituency have been consistently demanding that this station at Dharmapuri be made a full-fledged radio station by appointing the required number of employees and the programme be broadcast 24 hours a day from this station instead of six hours. I would request the hon. Minister to take necessary actions to make the radio station at Dharmapuri a full-fledged station by appointing staff etc.

 

SHRIMATI SUMITRA MAHAJAN: We have made a small beginning through this Bill which has also envisaged service conditions of the employees. We shall also have to think as to what decisions we have to take in future for the welfare of the employees of the corporation. We have not prepared any cadre in Prasar Bharati. I would also like that there should be clear mention about the steps we have taken and the programme that has been prepared for filling up the vacant

posts. It is also not clear as to what was the original objective behind strengthening the Prasar Bharati and what actually is being done to achieve that objective because it is not clear anywhere in the proposed Bill. We also need to review as to whether Prasar Bharati is functioning in an autonomous manner and whether it is broadcasting high quality programmes as had been originally envisaged by us. There is a need to make those employees of the corporation permanent who have been rendering their service on adhoc or daily wages basis for the years together. There is also a need to strike a balance between the needs of commercial interest for mobilizing strong funding stream and that of the original objective of maintaining the high standard of quality. For meeting this objective, even if some budgetary support needs to be given, that should be provided. There is also a need for regulating the contents of those programmes which are not in consonance with the ethos of Indian culture. There is no dearth of talent in the department and in the past, many high quality programmes like ‘Tamas’ and ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ etc have been produced. However, over a period of time, the quality has deteriorated. We need to look as to why this has happened? There is also a need for stopping adhocism in the matter of appointment of employees.

 

SHRI SANJAY NIRUPAM: This Bill has been brought to amend the section 18 (11) of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. The Bill has many provisions to deal with the service conditions of the employees of the corporation, tackling the

issues both before the inception of Prasar Bharati and after it was formed. The need for this has arisen because when the Act was enacted in 1990, no one had any inkling of the kind of obstacles that can arise as to what is going to happen to the service conditions of the employees of Doordarshan and AIR once they would become the part of Prasar Bharati. I also feel that in general the employees seem to be satisfied about the proposed service conditions which have become part of the Bill after a long drawn process. When Prasar Bharati was incorporated, the main objective behind was to maintain the autonomy of Doordarshan and Government media. It was especially desirable in context of the fact that not a large number of private channels were existing at the time. Now, the number of Doordarshan viewers has shrunk in presence of over five hundred private channels. Same is the case with Radio. In such a scenario, I think, the question of autonomy of Radio and Doordarshan has become less important. Today, the number of employees in Prasar Bharati is approximately 40,000. However, there are 10-12 thousand vacant posts. No recruitment has taken place in the Programming Section since 1992. If we want to make Prasar Bharati competitive against these private channels then we need to fill all vacancies and recruit talented employees. One more important point which is raised quite often is as to why all the key posts are held by the IAS Officers. Can’t we get talented officers from the Information and the Broadcasting Sector. Today, Doordarshan has four-five hours of commercial time with it due to

which it is becoming commercially unviable pushing it to the losses to the tune of 350-400 crore. The government need to take steps to make Prasar Bharati commercially viable. The whole autonomy and the role of Prasar Bharati has come under the question mark in the changing scenario. Therefore, I would like to urge upon the government to review the working of Prasar Bharati to make it competitive.

 

DR. RAGHUVANSH PRASAD SINGH: The Constitution gives us the freedom of expression. Journalism and media are the fourth estate of our democracy. Without these, democracy cannot be imagined and therefore, a decision was taken to set up an autonomous Broadcasting Corporation called the Prasar Bharati. It was a dream of the people that there should be an institution in the country, which broadcast and disseminate constructive information independently and make the people aware of what’s happening around the globe. A Bill was introduced in 1990 and the Prasar Bharati came into existence in 1997. It was implemented half-heartedly in 1997 and even today the scenario is almost the same. The Standing Committee had said that a comprehensive Bill should be introduced. Then, why a comprehensive Bill has not been introduced? The condition of officers and employees of Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan and AIR is pitiable. There is uncertainty in their service condition. There is competition and a number of private channels have since come up then how these Government

employees compete with these. Out of 36,675 employees in Prasar Bharati, 33,040 employees are on deputation. Even today, the post of CEO is vacant. Besides, 25 per cent posts are lying vacant. The hon. Minister should clarify as to when these 25 per cent vacant posts would be filled and by when their service conditions would be improved. The Government should bring a comprehensive Bill and provide sufficient funds.

 

SHRI NARAHARI MAHATO: We have seen how Doordarshan and All India Radio are functioning in our country and what the position of the private channels is, which are increasing day by day. This Bill should have provided for some essential rights and necessary infrastructure. The Government must improve the functioning of Doordarshan. The Government must make new appointments very soon which is not only good for the employees in terms of improving their ability, but also help in improving its performance. For the sake of the employees, people, and integrity of our nation, I hope the hon. Minister will look into all aspects pertaining to the improvement in the functioning of Prasar Bharati.

 

SHRI MOHAMMED E.T. BASHEER: The grievance redressal mechanism in this Prasar Bharati is very slow. There are lot of complaints and grievances pending for redressal. On salary structure anomalies, there is a committee and that committee is functioning very slowly. I request the hon. Minister to streamline that process. On 8^th September, 2011, Prasar Bharati issued

a declaration on derecognition of the unions. Ours is a democratic country. We have to give that right back because the healthy trade union movement and a healthy organization is essential for maintaining a good relation with employees and the employers. We may give corporation status or autonomous status or independent status but a country like ours must have the voice of the nation. Prasar Bharati should keep it up. Channel war is going on. In this channel war, value of this country particularly ethics and morality is crushed under the steam roller of over-commercialisation. Other channels may play the role of entertainment but Doordarshan and AIR should not only be an entertainment channel, it should have entertainment plus education. There are FM channels under the All India Radio. In All India Radio, Calicut, there is a demand that FM channel of AIR should be given the status of reading the news.

 

^*SHRI PRASANTA KUMAR MAJUMDAR: This Bill will help the 36,675 employees of Doordarshan and All India Radio overcome their pitiable situation. For the last 14 years, the employees association of Prasar Bharati has been suffering in the hands of bureaucrats. Their democratic rights have been curbed. There is uncertainty about the career prospects of the employees. Their Service Rules should immediately be put into force and Hon. Minister must look into these aspects. The people of India no longer watch Doordarshan or listen to

 

^*  Original in Bengali.

Akashvani. They prefer private TV and radio channels. The 1200 Doordarshan Kendras lack the required infrastructure. Most of the CEO posts are lying vacant. No one is there to effectively manage the Government media set up. There is also dearth of staff. Therefore something must be done in this regard. If we are able to run like the BBC, then viewers might be interested in switching over to Doordarshan and AIR. Therefore, these two units must be made independent, transparent and revenue earnings must be increased. The programmes must also be made more educational, more attractive and more interesting. The channels must be run professionally. I am of the opinion that the news reading facility for FM Channel and the AIR should be given.

 

DR. TARUN MANDAL: I am of the opinion that the Bill introduced by the hon. Minister is not going to solve the problems of AIR and Doordarshan. The employees of Prasar Bharati are having two views. Some of them claim that now everything will be alright whereas other say that their right to option is being taken away. Therefore, my suggestion is that the government should discuss it seriously and take a decision so that all the employees can be satisfied. My suggestion is that Prasar Bharati sould be given a constitutional status. There should be freedom of employees in Prasar Bharati. Prasar Bharati is heading towards privatizations and commercialization. We do need modernization to compete with private channels. We will not tolerate if PPP and FDI is brought in the name of

modernizations and lack of resources. More than 12 thousand posts lying vacant in Prasar Bharati should be filled up.

 

SHRI RAMKISHUN: There are many agricultural scientists who present their views to the farmers in Prasar Bharati but they are not permanent employees. Our Prasar Bharati is not able to compete with the private channels. I urge the hon. Minister to protect the employees and regularize them. There are a number of Bhojpuri speaking people in our country. Banaras and Gorakhpur are the two centres for Bhojpuri programmes. We do not have good artists there to compete with the private channel, ‘Mahua’. Good Bhojpuri artists should be encouraged in Prasar Bharati.

SHRI BISHNU PADA RAY: Andaman-Nicobar Island is a Tsunami prone area. The condition of Doordarshan is very pitiable. Doordarshan is not accessible there in any of the islands. The transmission tower had collapsed which is also not being installed. The hon. Minister had also visited the Andaman Island. The post of casual announcer is lying vacant there.

 

SHRI CHOUDHURY MOHAN JATUA replying said: In all 19 Members took part in this discussion on the Prasar Bharati (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which will be a part of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. Most of the speakers expressed their anxiety, feelings and sentiments to see that the Prasar Bharati functions as a full-fledged helping unit for the people. This is practically only one step forward

towards making the Prasar Bharati a self-sufficient autonomous body. I have taken careful note of the issues and concerns raised by Hon. Members. These issues fall in two broad categories: the first is staff related issues and the second is general issues concerning the functioning of Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan and All India Radio. It has taken 14 years for the Prasar Bharati Board to even prepare a draft proposal for Recruitment Rules for its Bharati employees and for setting up of Recruitment Boards. We have immediately processed these proposals in respect of formation of the Board as also the Rules and they are currently in inter-Ministerial consultation with Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and Department of Expenditure. We are hopeful that with their approval, Prasar Bharati will at least become independent to conduct its own recruitment, thus solving a long standing need of this organization. Some hon. Members have expressed agitation and concern over matters relating to employees’ organizations in Prasar Bharati. The Prasar Bharati employees, as on date, are governed by Government rules. In the case of formation of Association and their recognition, DoPT Rules of 1993 apply. There are no recognized Associations in existence in Prasar Bharati at the moment. The matter has been raised by some employee bodies and even by some Members of Parliament. Upon instruction of our Ministry, the process for recognition of representative bodies of employees has been initiated in Prasar Bharati and we are hopeful that all those employees who are desirous of being

represented by a recognized Association will be able to join any group of their choice. Further, it is a fact that there is a huge vacancy position in Prasar Bharati. It is almost 33% of its sanctioned strength. It has affected its performance. The GoM on Prasar Bharati has recently recommended immediate filling up of 3452 essential posts. A proposal, in this regard, has already been submitted to Department of Expenditure and DoPT and is being vigorously pursued by the Ministry. We are hopeful that with this induction of trained manpower, an immediate consequent improvement in Prasar Bharati services will become visible. As regards the appointment of the CEO of the Prasar Bharati, there is a Committee under the chairmanship of hon. Vice President of India and two other members are the Chairman, Press Council and a representative of the hon. President of India. So, they will decide when and how the CEO will be appointed. The Ministry has nothing to do on this issue. One Member from Andaman asked about Andaman. There are a lot of employees who are just casual. I assure them that something will be done. There are certain rules prescribed by the DoPT to take care of the employees. So, the DoPT rules are being followed and attempts are being made. In the meantime, I will remind the hon. Members that with the present steps that we have taken today, the status of the employees will be finalized. So, the employees will be recruited as has been provided for in the rules. A Board has been formed by the Prasar Bharati; they have sent the proposal and rules to this

effect has already been framed. They have sent it to the Ministry. We have completed our part of the job. It is now pending with DoPT. The Bill has a very limited scope. It is regarding the status of employees of Prasar Bharati. The provisions of this Bill do not contain anything about the problems of Prasar Bharati. A comprehensive Bill on the functioning of Prasar Bharati would be placed before Parliament very soon and that would take into account the entire perspective of Prasar Bharati as to how it can be improved and how to make it acceptable to the people of India and also as to how to reach the nook and corner of the country and even extend its reach to outside India and how it should be able to compete with private channels.

 

The Bill was passed

 

**                                       **                               **                                      **

 T.K. VISWANATHAN,

 

Secretary-General

 

**Supplement covering rest of the proceedings is being issued separately. © 2011 BY LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT

NOTE: It is the verbatim Debates of the Lok Sabha and not the Synopsis that should be considered authoritative.

 

English and Hindi versions of Synopsis of Debates are also available at http://loksabha.nic.in.