In a relief to Prasar Bharati employees, government on Tuesday approved amendments to the law governing the public broadcaster, making it clear that recruitments done between November 1997 and October 2007 will be considered as “deemed deputation” till retirement.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its nod to the amendment to section 11(2) of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill by the addition of “and until their retirement” at the end of the section.
“This will make the status of employees recruited between November 23, 1997 and October 5, 2007 - they are on deemed deputation to Prasar Bharati till their retirement - absolutely clear and unambiguous,” an official statement said.
The specified posts are officers and employees of the Indian Information Service, the Central Secretariat Service or any cadre outside Akashvani and Doordarshan but connected to Prasar Bharati.
The employees under this category were apprehensive about their promotional prospects, especially in relation to those who were directly recruited for Prasar Bharati.
The Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha in August last year. It was subsequently referred to the Standing Committee which has since submitted its report.
The Standing Committee had said that the concerns of the employees about their promotional prospects should be taken care of.
The Committee had recommended that in the recruitment rules and service conditions of employees of Prasar Bharati, it should be made absolutely clear that the employees on deemed deputation are senior to Prasar Bharati employees and it would not affect their promotional prospects.
