gfiles magazine

May 22, 2018

By the way : DD in doldrums


When Prime Minister Modi started ‘Man ki Baat’ on AIR, the officials presumed that the condition of Prasar Bharati would improve. But the PMO has restricted itself to broadcast and telecast of ‘Man ki Baat’. Both Doordarshan and All India Radio are actually in a precarious situation. Prasar Bharti Chairman, A Surya Prakash, an old RSS associate, does not know how to move in a no-money syndrome organisation. The once glowing Doordarshan office at Mandi House used to be flooded with visitors but now it’s deserted. There are no new programmes being sanctioned as there is no budget; even salaries are paid out of the interest of fixed deposits. The day one retires from Doordarshan or AIR, the very next day, one joins as an ad hoc employee. There have been no permanent new recruitments in any category of staff in Prasar Bharati for the last 25 years. Most of the staff is working on contractual basis. It has become den of retired people and nepotism is at its peak. The mess has percolated so deep that most of the time DD is repeating one programme many times in a day. The situation is so pathetic that the contractor of the parking lot outside DD is desperate to run away from the contract as it is perpetually deserted.


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