Three decades after its was set up, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati finally managed to form its own recruitment board that would address hiring needs.
According to an official order, Jagdish Upasane, who is director of Bharat Prakashan , would be the first chairperson of the six member Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board (PBRB).
Despite being an autonomous body, India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati did not have a recruitment board -- a key step towards addressing the staffing needs of Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), according to people familiar with the matter.
A significant step towards strengthening the autonomy of Prasar Bharati which was pending for 23 years. PB can now recruit officials of a certain category on full-time basis, said former Prasar Bharati chairperson A Surya Prakash.
Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990, laid down the establishment of one or more recruitment boards, but it did not materialise because over the years the Union government and the public broadcaster were not on the same page over the modalities of setting up such a board.
“Prasar Bharati is supposed to be an autonomous body, yet it does not have a mechanism to hire its employees. Consequently, government officers belonging to other services generally come to work in Prasar Bharati on deputation. Over decades, the Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board could never be set up because the I&B ministry and the public broadcaster often had differences over its structure, or may be this reason or that,” a senior official had earlier told HT while requesting anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Prasar Bharati is supposed to be an autonomous body, yet it does not have a mechanism to hire its employees. Consequently, government officers belonging to other services generally come to work in Prasar Bharati on deputation. Over decades, the Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board could never be set up because the I&B ministry and the public broadcaster often had differences over its structure, or may be this reason or that,” a senior official had earlier told HT while requesting anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar thanked I&B minister Prakasj Javadekar and secretary Amit Khare over the meeting of the long pending requirement.