CALCUTTA, February 25: The three-month-old Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) has embarked on a Rs 135 crore modernisation scheme to be completed in the current fiscal year. It is hoped that the new scheme will help to replace its obsolete equipment to restore the credibility of the electronic media. The Chief Executive Officer of the Prasar Bharati, S S Gill, said that with this development, the programmes of both Doordarshan and the All India Radio (AIR) would go through dramatic technical changes in the next three months.Gill told a press conference here today that the neglected north-east would get more attention. He also said regional headquarters would be provided with more administrative power for the betterment of local administration. Gill also demanded central subsidy equal to that of the revenue earned by the Prasar Bharati. He said a three-month contract had been given to a commercial firm in Mumbai to formulate a clear-cut policy and technical guidelines to make Prasar Bharatian economically viable sector.Gill said the news sections of Doordarshan and AIR countrywide would be merged. Currently, this had been implemented only in Delhi, to reduce manpower consumption and save expenditure.Recruitments in Prasar Bharati had been temporarily stopped, Gill said, on account of surplus staff. The surplus posts had been identified and would be abolished after existing staff retired.Outlining the Prasar Bharati guidelines, Gill said the news staff of Doordarshan and AIR had already been told that news had to be fair, balanced, objective and fearless. Newspersons were instructed to judge every story on the basis of its merit and news value alone, he said, observing that the Doordarshan and AIR election coverage was not received well by all political parties. These steps would help them counter the challenge of private channels.The Prasar Bharati has arranged for special year-long training programmes in packaging news items which will occupy an important part.
