NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar’s announcement that he wants to cut short his term, which ends early next year is the latest in the standoff between the autonomous body that he heads and its parent organisation the ministry of information and broadcasting.
Though Sircar is yet to put in his papers, sources said a former secretary in the ministry, Sunil Arora, recently appointed an advisor in Prasar Bharati is a front runner for the CEO’s post.
Sircar, who put his decision to “impatience” at the slow pace of work, will complete his term in February 2017.
This is not the first time that Sircar has hit the headlines for being critical of the ministry’s interference. Sources, however, told Hindustan Times that Board members were divided over the CEO’s policy decisions, such as the recently announced slot sale policy, which has found no takers, despite rules being relaxed.
The new slot sale policy, cited as the reason for the latest confrontation, seeks to auction prime time slots, between 7-11 pm, on Prasar Bharati’s national channel for which producers will provide content for a share in the advertising revenue.
Sircar for his part ruled out any disagreement with the ministry, indicating that the disagreement was largely limited to his own organisation.
{{/usCountry}}Sircar for his part ruled out any disagreement with the ministry, indicating that the disagreement was largely limited to his own organisation.
{{/usCountry}}“I am tired of the way I get filibustered,” he said, adding polices approved by the government and the Board, are stopped at the operational level.
There is talk of the policy being reworked. “There is a move to seek additional funds from the government to the tune of Rs 135 crore for Doordarshan. The idea is to empanel big production houses who will in turn acquire the rights for prime time,” a source said.
Sircar declined to comment on whether his decision also stems from the ministry’s interference in the day to day functioning of the autonomous body, including appointments.