Prasar Bharati employees should be retained with govt: NFADE

New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) The National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees today held a day-long demonstration demanding amendment to the Prasar Bharati Act seeking to retain the employees and assets with the government.

The demonstrators pointed out that a move was on to ''dump'' 45,000 AIR and DD employees, who had no role to play in the functional autonomy of Prasar Bharati, which was not financially viable because it was performing dual role of national as well as public service broadcaster.

Addressing the agitating employees, Senior CPI(M) leader and MP Hannan Mollah said the real essence of autonomy was out of place in the Prasar Bharati Act because news and current affairs, for which the autonomy was envisaged was still controlled by Indian Information Service officers who would not be absorbed in Prasar Bharati and continue to be 'on deputation'.

Thus the news and current affairs would also continue to ''government news'' in the guise of Prasar Bharati, he added.

NFADE represented 21 staff associations of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

UNI