Courtesy: indianexpress.com
Arvind Rajagopal | August 2, 2014 4:19 am
It is both strange and unfortunate that the world's largest democracy has a public media system that most people disparage. That the public media are themselves blamed for their shortcomings is stranger yet. The formal autonomy Prasar Bharati acquired in 1997 has led to a betwixt-and-between situation that is the worst of both worlds. It is neither totally free nor completely controlled.
Prasar Bharati has the problems of most other government organisations. The hiring criteria are so rigid that talent cannot be engaged. The government continues to control appointments and funding, so Prasar Bharati's effective decision-making powers are extremely limited. The Sam Pitroda committee, in its January report, made a series of recommendations to overhaul the organisation, reduce its reliance on government money and make it competitive with commercial broadcasters. It will require a considerable upfront investment however, and already there are signs the government is shying away from this. The reasons are clear enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment