MUMBAI: Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV have been merged into one channel called Sansad TV. With the merger, Rajya Sabha TV CEO Manoj Kumar Pandey’s role has been terminated. Retired IAS officer Ravi Capoor has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the channel with immediate effect.

Sansad TV is likely to have two channels, with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sessions telecast live on each.

The decision was taken by Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu, and speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla, is believed to have been for administrative purposes.

The coalition of the two channels had been in the works since last year and a committee had been set up for recommendations on issues such as integration of technical resources, manpower and logistics.

Sansad TV will be available in Hindi and English. While LS TV was launched in 2006, RS TV hit the airwaves in 2011.

Who is Ravi Capoor?

A 1986-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre (retd), Ravi Capoor was serving as the secretary of ministry of textiles. He has held various posts in different capacities, serving as additional chief secretary, Assam (from 2016 to 2019), where he was in charge of mines & minerals, forest & environment, Act East Policy Affairs and Public Enterprises Department.

Capoor was also the joint secretary in the ministry of commerce and industry from 2011 to 2016, and served as executive director, Petroleum Conservation Research Association and director in the ministry of petroleum from 2004 to 2008. Besides this, he has worked internationally in the World Bank, EU and UN.