NEW DELHI: The government funds to Prasar Bharati for content development and dissemination have been stopped from the 12th Plan.
The pubcaster was getting funds from the government under the 11th Plan for content development and dissemination scheme for both Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), primarily for the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, and Urdu.
The pubcaster will now have to depend on its Internal Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR) from the 12th Plan.
Interestingly, Prasar Bharati said this development came at a time when its CEO Jawhar Sircar had asked the Ministry for funds for radio and TV channels in tribal areas and those channels, which are unable to run 24x7 – one example being Shimla.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com that Prasar Bharati was given Rs 54 crore in 2012-13, Rs 47 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 36 crore in 2014-15.
Pertinent to note here is that there was a drastic reduction of funds allocated in 2014-15, since the Rs 36 crore also included Rs 25 crore for DD Kisan, which was launched recently on 26 May, 2015.
