GoM to amend DoPT rules to meet PB's employees' demand

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Group of Ministers on Prasar Bharati, which met here today, is believed to have decided to amend the DoPT Act to allow the employees of Doordarshan and All India Radio to continue to be on deemed deputation in the Prasar Bharati.

The public broadcaster's 40,000-odd employees want to continue to be part of the Central Government.

The Supreme Court had recently told the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that it has to take a decision on the status of the employees as under the law they cannot remain on deemed deputation on a permanent basis.

The GoM which had been postponing its meetings had to meet in a hurry today because the Ministry has to inform the Supreme Court on Monday about the position it had taken on the issue.

According to sources, it has been decided in today's meeting that the Government would bring in a Cabinet note for amending the DoPT Act to be provided for continuance of the employees as on deemed deputation.

The employees had been consistently opposing the proposal to become permanent staff of the Prasar Bharati by giving up their Government employee status, arguing that they had been deprived of many benefits in the Coproration.

The GoM is also understood to have decided to give an option to employees to stay with the government or come under the Prasar Bharati Corporation .

The GoM is headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil. It has as its members Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni, Law Minister H R Bhardwaj and Communications Minister A Raja.

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