GoM on Prasar Bharati defers meeting to July 13

New Delhi, July 11 (UNI) The GoM set up to look into the tricky issue of financial restructuring of the Prasar Bharati and deciding the status of its employees today had to defer its meeting for the fourth time in a row.

The reason given was the non-availability of the Finance Minister and the Minister of Personnel, who are also its members besides the Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

Earlier, the meeting scheduled for July three was put off because Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who heads the Group, was preoccupied with some other work.

The meeting has now been slated for July 13, a senior Ministry official told UNI.

''Besides, the issue of the status of the Prasar Bharati employees, the GoM will also consider other measures like providing a licensing fee for TV and tax on new TV sets, and these measures are in fact not somehing new. They are mentioned in the Prasar Bharati Act of 1990 itself,'' said the official.

The GoM has to take a final decision about giving the employees the option to go back to the government or remain with the Prasar Bharati.

Meanhwile, the employees have decided to intensify their agitation for tomorrow.

They demanded that the Act should be so amended as to keep the employees and the asssets of AIR and Doordarshan with the Government, on lines of Railway Board.

The GoM has now to take a final decision on the status of employees by early August, as per the directions of the Supreme Court, which had in early February asked the government to do so within six months. Thereafter, the matter was referred to a high-level Committee of Officers.

As per Section 11 of the Prasar Bharati Act, an option has to be given to the employees to remain with the broadcaster or go back to the government.

The Committee of Secretaries, which had been appointed to study the issue, is learnt to have given its report to the GoM, sources said.

UNI