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Government will not have a say over Prasar Bharati's CEO, says Swaraj

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj today categorically denied that the Prasar Bharati bill to be introduced in the coming session of Parliament, would impose any governmental control over All India Radio and Doordarshan and assured that it would give full editorial freedom to the media.

Talking to newsmen at Madras airport she said, "It would only be accountable to a parliamentary committee comprising representatives of all political parties."

Claiming that there was no controversy over the bill, she said there was some misapprehension that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre wanted to control the media.

Swaraj termed as "baseless", the charges that some Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP officials would control Prasar Bharati following the removal of S S Gill as CEO. "This is not at all true," she added.

She said there was an in-built scheme in the Prasar Bharati Act that ensured that the BJP or the government has no role in the appointment of the CEO. A committee comprising the vice-president, Press Council chairman and the President's nominee would select the CEO, she added.

Swaraj also clarified that the central government would not send a list of candidates to the committee for the selection of the CEO. "The committee can appoint a search group or suo motu appoint a CEO. Other political parties can suggest names to the committee, which could select one out of them," she added.

She charged her predecessor, S Jaipal Reddy, with diluting the total concept of accountability.

Reddy had even notified the act, but at the implementation stage he had made amendments through an ordinance, diluting the accountability, and the parliamentary committee was abolished, she alleged.

She said a parliamentary committee would be constituted, and the total editorial freedom existing in the 1990 act would not be disturbed.

She said there would be no control by the government on the board. "There will be a balance between autonomy and accountability," the minister added.

The act provides equal status to the CEO, member finance and member personnel. But following the amendments, the members became subservient to the CEO. To maintain continuity, the act had provided for rotation of members. This was changed in such a way that all the members were appointed for six years, she alleged.

Swaraj, however, said the present government did not propose to bring in any amendment to the old Prasar Bharati Act of 1990, which was unanimously passed in Parliament.

She said she had allowed the ordinance to lapse to enable A review of the old act without any addition or deletion. "I am confident that the bill would be passed unanimously," she added.

To a question on the entry of foreign media, Swaraj said she was not in favour of it. But we will permit 20 per cent foreign equity in private broadcasting channels, she added.

UNI

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