Culture Secretary Jawhar Sircar is all set to be appointed the next Chief Executive Officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, after a three-member selection panel headed by Vice-President Hamid Ansari is learnt to have recommended his name for the position on Thursday.

Sircar is due to retire from his present job next month, and will take over from Acting CEO Rajiv Takru, the Additional Secretary in Information and Broadcasting Ministry who also happens to be the government’s nominee on the Prasar Bharati Board.

Sircar’s likely appointment is expected to bring an end to an inglorious phase in Prasar Bharati during which its previous CEO B S Lalli was charged with a series of allegations of corruption. He had to be suspended in December 2010 and retired in suspension at the end of last year. Takru has been holding charge ever since Lalli was suspended.

The appointment of the CEO is done by the President on the recommendation of the selection panel.

Apart from the Vice-President, the selection panel comprises of Press Council of India chief Justice Markandey Katju and Secretary, I&B Ministry Uday Kumar Varma.

Sources said the panel zeroed in on Sircar in its second meeting. It is learnt the panel had met earlier this month as well, but could not finalise the name because of a legal doubt raised by one of the members. The question arose as to why the post of the CEO was not advertised, just like that of another permanent member of the Prasar Bharati Board for which applications have been sought.

|||||| Thank you for your interest.||||||