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Prasar Bharati Bill will sail through Parliament: Naqvi

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is confident that the bill to replace the Prasar Bharati ordinance would be passed in the winter session of Parliament.

The bill would be placed before all parties and discussed threadbare as had been done before the earlier amendment -- passed by the Lok Sabha -- was taken up in Parliament.

Naqvi said the government would shortly reply to the questions raised by the selection committee, headed by Vice-President Krishan Kant, which is to find nominees to fill the five vacancies in Prasar Bharati, including that of the chairman and chief executive officer.

He also said the government was keen to introduce the Broadcast Bill during the winter session.

The Broadcast Bill, introduced last year by the United Front government and sent to a select committee, had lapsed with the fall of that government.

The minister said a department-wise review of each media unit under his ministry would be carried out after Diwali in order to finalise priorities.

A meeting was being held shortly to find ways to provide for institutional finance for the film industry, he said. The Central Board for Film Certification has been reconstituted. The members would be announced soon.

The selection committee for Prasar Bharati consists of three members: Krishan Kant, Press Council of India chairman Justice P B Sawant, and T V R Shenoy, nominated by the President.

The Prasar Bharati chairman, Nikhil Chakravartty, died some months ago. A second vacancy was created when member A Padmanabhan was given a gubernatorial posting. Three more vacancies were created as a result of the amendment of the Prasar Bharati Act. While S S Gill was removed from the post of member (executive), the posts of member (personnel) and member (finance) were made permanent as a result of the ordinance.

The selection committee had sought details about the salaries and status of the member (personnel) and member (finance) after the promulgation of the ordinance. These posts were ex-officio under the ordinance promulgated by the United Front government last October.

Shenoy had been named as President's nominee before the ordinance of August 29. It was later decided that he would continue to be a member.

UNI

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