NEW DELHI: While reiterating that there are no permanent newsreaders or news presenters in Doordarshan News, the Government has denied any routine transfers of newsreaders-cum-translators (NRT) in All India Radio (AIR).

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told Parliament that NRTs of different Indian languages are needed for the smooth functioning of news operations in different languages in News Services Division, All India Radio.

He said there are a total of 27 NRTs working in eleven languages in the News Services Division of AIR. They were all employed in the eighties and nineties and there has been no new appointment after 1999.  

Meanwhile, DD News sources told Indiantelevision.com that there are no newsreaders at the centre any more. Regional kendras have newsreaders, who work on casual basis for a maximum of seven days in a month.

At the same time, sources also said that those who read the news at DD News headquarters are either designated as anchors or anchor-correspondents. Most of them are hired on a contractual basis, however, some work on a casual basis.