Decision on Prasar Bharti employees soon: GoM

New Delhi, June 27: About 40,000 employees of Prasar Bharati may hear something final about their fate with the Group of Ministers (GOM) set up on the restructuring of the Corporation holding its meeting on July three to take up the issue.

The employees are demanding that they be given an option to remain with the Prasar Bharati or return to the Government.

The Supreme Court had in February asked the government to come out with a final view within six months.

The issue of employee status has been a ticklish one though Section 11 of the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 is clear that an option would be given to the employees to remain with the broadcaster or opt for the Government.

Various employees' unions of the Corporation are opposing any change in their status as government employees mainly because it gave them various perks and security of employment.

Their unions have even petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to do away with the Prasar Bharati Act and bring Doordarshan and All India Radio under full government control.

The GoM headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil will also discuss the issue of financial restructuring of the Corporation.

An inter-ministerial committee of secretaries formed to come out with a blue print is expected to present its views to the GoM at the meeting, sources in the Ministry said.

Besides a committee, headed by Secretray, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is also looking into the issue.

The meeting of the GoM had been postponed twice earlier.

According to sources, the inter-ministerial committee is in advanced stages of preparation of its report on financial restructuring.

They said that as per the view being taken by the committee and the GoM, the Government may transfer control of all assest to Prasar Bharati Corporation, and then pick up equity in it. It may give annual subsidy and grant for a fixed time period.

The GoM after studying the committee's views will submit its recommendations to the Cabinat.

The Secretary level committee formed in the Ministry in 2005 favoured the public broadcaster managing the resources on its own.

The GoM was constituted in the first week of March last year to make a final note to the Cabinet on the issue.

It has as its members ministers from Information and Broadcasting, Home, Defence IT, law and Finance and also the Planning Commission.

The Act on the autonomy of Doordarshan and All India Radio was passed by Parliament in 1990 after the Supreme Court ruled that airwaves were public property and could not be monopolised.

UNI