In a bid to regularise appointments it made between November 1997 and October 2007, Parliament on Tuesday gave the nod to the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2010.
Even as the Lok Sabha ratified the Bill, which the Rajya Sabha had passed earlier, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni assured members that the government would come up with a comprehensive Bill addressing the functioning of Prasar Bharati and make it more professional and competitive.
The Bill provides for regularising all those employees recruited between November 23, 1997, and October 5, 2007, by considering them as being on “deemed deputation” till their retirement. The Bill was passed by a voice vote.
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Moving the Bill for passage, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C.M. Jatua said it aimed to remove the ambiguity regarding the fate of these employees and provide them a professional working ambience.
He, however, clarified that the government had no role to play in filling the vacancy of Prasar Bharati CEO after former chief B.S. Lalli's exit over the Commonwealth Games scam and pointed out that the appointment committee was headed by the Vice President and comprised the President's representative and the Press Council of India Chairman.