U.R. Rao made Prasar Bharati chief

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 10. After dragging its feet for months, the Government today finally filled up some of the vacancies in the Broadcasting Corporation of India with the appointment of the eminent space scientist, Prof. U. R. Rao, as Prasar Bharati Chairman, and three part-time members.

In a late evening development, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that Prof. Rao - who is already on the Prasar Bharati Board as a part-time member - will head the Broadcasting Corporation of India as Chairman till November 22, 2003. Prof. Rao will be the second Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board after the eminent journalist, Nikhil Chakravartty, who died mid-term. Though the term of the Chairman is for six years as per the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, Prof. Rao will hold the office only for the remaining part of Nikhil Chakravartty's term which began in 1997. Prof. Rao's four-year term as part-time member was to expire on November 22 this year.

While Prof. Rao has been elevated in the Prasar Bharati hierarchy, three new inductions have been made to fill up the vacancies within the category of part-time members. The three new part-time members are: The former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Lt. Gen. (Retd) M. A. Zaki; the eminent journalist, Prof. Vidya Nivas Mishra; and the retired bureaucrat, Mr. S. Kasipandian.

All these appointments have been made on the recommendation of the selection committee headed by the Vice- President, Mr. Krishan Kant, with the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI), Mr. Justice K. Jayachandra Reddy, and the noted journalist, Mr. T.V.R. Shenoy, as its members.

The selection committee - which had not met for several months on end - apparently met twice since the appointment of Mr. Justice Reddy as the PCI Chairman about two months back.

Despite these appointments, vacancies remain within the Board. Some of the posts that still need to be filled include that of the Chief Executive Officer, Director-General (All India Radio), Director-General (Doordarshan) and two part-time members.

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