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NEW
DELHI: The grant-in-aid to Prasar Bharati is a substantial
Rs 16.36 billion for 2009-10, perhaps in view of the expenses
to be incurred for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.
The
Union budget presented today shows an increase over the revised
estimates for 2008-09 that is Rs 12.70 billion, as against
the budgetary allocation of Rs 11.42 billion for that year.
Even
the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s investment
in Prasar Bharati has been increased to Rs 3.56 billion in
2009-10 from the actual investment of Rs 2.62 billion in the
budget for 2008-09. This is higher than the investment that
had been proposed in the budget presented last year, which
was Rs 3.26 billion. Interestingly, the interim budget presented
on 16 February had shown a reduction in the investment in
Prasar Bharati to Rs 2.56 billion in 2009-10.
While
the grant-in-aid is to cover the gap in resources for meeting
revenue expenditure, the investment is to finance the capital
expenditure of the pubcaster.
Meanwhile,
last year’s budget had also proposed a loan of Rs 3.26
billion for Prasar Bharati towards setting up an ‘International
Broadcasting Centre’ and other facilities as a host broadcaster
for the Commonwealth Games 2010 which was in addition to the
grant-in-aid for 2008-09.
Ministry
sources told indiantelevision.com that the absence of mention
of this loan in the budget documents only meant that there
was no fresh loan but the commitment of last year would be
honoured.
Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said while presenting the interim
budget in February that the allocations were for the entire
financial year beginning from 1 April this year, but funds
had been sought only for the first four months of the financial
year.
The
total allocation for the I&B Ministry this year is Rs
25.68 billion which is substantially higher than the budgetary
allocation for 2008-09 which was Rs 19.10 billion and also
higher than the revised estimates of Rs 20.25 billion.
Interestingly,
the allocation to the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre has
been raised from Rs 30 million to Rs 48 million. The EMMC
was set up for monitoring television and radio channels for
violation of programme and advertising codes.
The
allocation for the film sector is Rs 961.7 million for 2009-10
as against Rs 848.5 million last year, revised to Rs 902.5
million. In addition, there is a separate allocation of Rs
71.5 million for Certification of films.
Interestingly,
the investment in the National Film Development Corporation
has been reduced to just Rs 100,000, perhaps because the revised
estimates of the Corporation meant to develop growth of good
cinema showed it had spent only Rs 100,000 of the Rs 80 million
allocated to it in the budget for 2008-09.
The
allocation for Press Information Services which includes grants
to the Press Council of India has been raised from Rs 358.5
million in last year’s budget to Rs 566.9 million. Sources
said this increase is to meet the expenses to set up media
pool services for the Commonwealth Games.
Interestingly,
this also includes funds for a subsidy for running India’s
news pool desk of non-aligned news agencies pool through the
Press Trust of India despite the fact that the news pool has
been non-existent for several decades.
The
allocation for advertising and visual publicity has been raised
from Rs 743.6 million in the last budget to Rs 917.5 million
for 2009-10 to meet the extra expenses following the increase
in the advertising rates of the Directorate of Advertising
and Visual Publicity. However, this is lower than the revised
estimates of Rs 1.01 billion.
The
lumpsum provision for projects and schemes of the Ministry
for development in the north-eastern region and Sikkim has
been increased from Rs 732.1 million in the revised estimates
of 2008-09 to Rs 900.1 million in 2009-10.
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