NEW DELHI: Senior media person Pranjal Sharma has been appointed Advisor in Prasar Bharati to devise strategies on ?News Media and Content Strategy?.

Sharma was until recently Executive Editor at Bloomberg UTV, which he had helped set up in India.

Combining media experience of around 21 years, Sharma is expected to help the pubcaster to foray into new fields in media.

DD sources said he will also look at the programme strategy of both All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan.

MUMBAI: BBC and Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) have joined forces to launch a new political debate and discussion show, Open Jirga.

The series, which is the first of its kind in Afghanistan, is presented by popular BBC journalist Daud Junbish.

    Open Jirga gives Afghans a chance to question politicians on country?s future
    Political debate show attracts panellists including government ministers
    Presented by BBC journalist Daud Junbish

It is produced by Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) with the BBC?s service for Afghanistan in Pashto and Dari, and BBC Media Action, the BBC?s international development charity.

Recorded in Dari and Pashto, Open Jirga (jirga means ?assembly? in Afghan languages) has a broad reach. The show provides people from across Afghanistan?s diverse communities with a platform to share their opinions with national leaders on the country?s future.

BBC?s service for Afghanistan editor Lutfullah Latif said, ?Afghanistan is undergoing major transitions linked to the drawdown of international forces and the presidential elections in 2014. Audiences have a lot of questions to ask, and this series of debate shows will provide an opportunity to air their views, hopes and fears.?

?Open Jirga? launched on RTA on 10 December and on the BBC?s service for Afghanistan in Pashto and Dari.

The studio audience from across the country took part in an animated discussion in the first episode, which tackled both the impact of the military withdrawal in 2014 on Afghanistan?s future, and the capacity and strength of the country?s security services.

A panel responded to questions from the audience. The panel included the Minster of the Interior, the Chief of Staff for Operations at the Defence Ministry, a female MP, Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan Intelligence Chief, and former Deputy Interior Minister.

One audience member from Kabul asked: "The country?s borders are open to Iran and Pakistan. When these modern weapons are taken away [in 2014], how can the Afghan people be confident that the national borders are secure?"

When Junbish started to wrap up the show, many in the audience stood up and called out: ?The debate has just begun!?

BBC Media Action?s Afghanistan country director Shirazuddin Siddiqi said, ?This programme is the result of a decade-long aspiration. It will play an important role in Afghanistan?s media landscape by bringing ordinary Afghans together with state officials.?

RTA deputy DG Jalal Mahmoodi said, ?Our country has reached a critical moment in its history. ?Open Jirga? provides our nation with the platform to debate and explore the choices we are faced with?.

Five more episodes tackling issues including the country?s economy will broadcast over the coming months.

In preparation for the debates, in-depth audience research was undertaken by BBC Media Action in seven provinces to ensure the programme?s focus on the issues that count to people across the country.

NEW DELHI: Even as the Government has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to re-examine the issue of giving licences to state governments or central ministries for launching television channels, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry has sought permission to start fifty educational direct-to-home (DTH) TV channels.

HRD Ministry?s application has been referred by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to the Committee of Secretaries, which has in turn set up a Group of Secretaries to examine the need for modifications in the existing uplinking guidelines.

I&B Ministry sources told indiantelevision.com that applications were also received earlier from the Rural Development Ministry, and the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu governments seeking permission for launching their own television channels.

Under the existing rules, permission is only granted to companies registered under the Companies Act 1956 to own a television channel.

An HRD Ministry source said it was ironical that there is no provision for permission to educational channels, despite the Right to Education having become a Constitutional right.

Tewari had clarified last week that TRAI recommendations in 2008 against giving licences to states or central ministries to own television channels had neither been accepted nor been acted upon by his ministry.

NEW DELHI: With All India Radio (AIR) facing 8462 vacancies in various categories, the government has granted approval for filling up 1150 posts.

The Government has also granted approval for undertaking recruitment against Group B and C posts through the Staff Selection Commission as a one-time dispensation to fill critical posts expeditiously.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told Parliament that of the 8,462 vacancies, 1,314 are Group A posts while there are 1,596 Group B posts, 3,618 Group C and 1,934 group D posts.

Tewari also said that non-availability of language experts on the permanent rolls for Urdu programmes have affected the quality of the 24-hours programme on AIR.

He clarified that the Urdu services are being managed through engagement of retired personnel and through outsourcing.

He said the shortage of staff had arisen because little fresh recruitment had taken place since the formation of Prasar Bharati in 1997.

In response to another question, he said that casual presenters were being booked by AIR stations on assignment basis for six to seven days.

Earlier this year, a Parliamentary Committee had noted that All India Radio and Doordarshan have a total staff strength of 33,800 against a total sanctioned strength of 48,022, leaving a gap of 14222 posts. The most critically affected areas are the Programme Wing and the News Services Division (AIR)/DD News.

The existing strength in the Programme Wing is just 6108 out of the total sanctioned strength of 10679, leaving the gap of 4571. Similarly, in NSD/News, there are 146 vacancies in the sanctioned strength of 379 with the present strength at 255.

The Committee for Information Technology also regretted that Prasar Bharati had failed to live up to the assurance given by then Prasar Bharati chief executive officer that the Recruitment Boards for Prasar Bharati would be set up by 31 March 2011.

The Committee had been informed that the notification with regard to setting up of Recruitment Board is under inter-Ministerial consultation. The Committee was given to understand that there are still some issues to be resolved between the Ministry/Department of Expenditure and the Department of Personnel.

It is understood that the UPSC and SSC have both refused to select for a non-Governmental organisation, thus creating a new problem for the Ministry/Prasar Bharati.

The proposal for setting up a Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board was approved by Prasar Bharati Board on 21 July 2010 and discussed in the Ministry and a final proposal was referred to the Department of Personnel and Training on 15 February 2011. DOP&T concurred with the proposal in June 2011 and the comments of the Department of Expenditure (DOE) were also received on 28 September last year. The DoE had requested that a separate proposal be formulated for creation of posts for the secretariat of Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board and also requested for drafting of agreement containing terms and conditions of the members of the Board.

This had been done and the proposal sent to DoE in February 2012 and would then be sent to Law Ministry.