Noting that Prasar Bharati has a workforce which is much bigger in size as compared to public broadcasters in other countries, a government-appointed panel has recommended a comprehensive manpower audit to map its staff requirements for the future.

The Expert Committee, headed by Sam Pitroda, has in its report said that no systematic, independent and professional review has been held of the norms, staffing and structure of the existing Prasar Bharati workforce.

Prasar Bharati has expanded over the years to meet its programming, transmission and logistical needs and currently employs 31,621 full-time and 7,269 casual employees, the committee found.

But despite its substantial staff strength, Prasar Bharati today faces challenges of rapid and constantly evolving technology, competition from the private sector and emergence of new delivery and engagement media, the committee noted.

The committee recommended that “a thorough manpower assessment and audit be conducted and an optimal organisational structure... be drawn up“.

The panel also called for supplementing the audit with a re-deployment plan which would address issues related to training, re-skilling and promotion of existing manpower.

Also, an expert group constituted by the Pitroda-led panel to make a comparative analysis of public sector broadcasters found that Prasar Bharati was the most over-staffed such service in the world with a head count of over 33,000 employees and a sanctioned strength of over 48,000.

In comparison, China’s CCTV provides more services with staff strength of just about 10,000 while BBC had less than 17,000 employees on its roster, the experts’ group pointed out.

The failure to transition from being a government department to an autonomous public institution with its own organisation, human resources and management policies has led to a severe erosion of Prasar Bharati’s ability to be a cohesive broadcaster which can compete adequately with private channels, the committee said.

The same factors have also made it difficult for Prasar Bharati to even fulfil its mandate, it added.

The expert committee also said that Doordarshan and All India Radio used to be home to great talent and still retained the largest broadcasting infrastructure in the country.

In order to re-energise Prasar Bharati, it must be given the power to frame rules and regulations for its own employees without seeking prior approval from the government, the committee said.

The Pitroda-led panel also called for the creation of an effective recruitment system to enable Prasar Bharati to attract the best talent and hire skilled professionals.

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