I&B Ministry proposes amendments to curtail Prasar Bharati CEO

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Indian Information and
Broadcasting Ministry has sent a note proposing amendments to
the Prasar Bharati Act which will considerably curtail the
powers of the CEO of the public broadcaster.
"The need to amend the Act had been felt after the
Shunglu Committee pointed to irregularities during the tenure
of former CEO B S Lalli. A Group of Ministers had recommended
that the Act be modified and the relations between the
ministry and Prasar Bharati be relooked," a top official said.
As per the amendments, the process of removal of the
Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati will be made less
tougher.
"A board which would consist of the office of the Vice
President, the Chairperson of Press Council of India and the
Minister of Information and Broadcasting would have the powers
to appoint and also remove the Prasar Bharati CEO," the
official said.
As per the present Act, the Prasar Bharati CEO cannot be
removed without the consent of the Indian President and the
Supreme Court, the official said.
After the amendments, "grounds of inefficiency" would
also be included as a reason for which the CEO could be
removed, the official said.
Another amendment the ministry proposes is to reduce the
eligibility age of the Prasar Bharati board members to 55
years from the current 62. "The idea is to get in more young
blood", the official said adding the minimum age for the
Chairperson and the CEO have been kept intact as per the
previous act.
The members will now have a tenure of 3 years unlike the
6-year tenure proposed earlier, the official said.
"The Prasar Bharati Act was drafted in 1988 and notified
in 1997. That was a period when Doordarshan had a complete
monopoly. Now, the circumstances have changed. Government does
not have monopoly over news and so the Act has to be amended,"
said the official.
Sources said since the post of the CEO of Prasar Bharati
is vacant at the moment, there is a view in the ministry that
the amendments be carried as soon as possible.
"It is likely that these amendments will be made through
an ordinance," said an official source.