India Explained
ImplementedJDI. K. Gujral, coalition government

Prasar Bharati Act brought into force (public broadcasting corporation)

The 1990 Prasar Bharati Act, brought into force on 15 September 1997, turned All India Radio and Doordarshan from government departments into a statutory corporation with Parliament-linked oversight.

Broadcast regulation · Idea originated under V. P. Singh (1989)

Facts

  • The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 is Act No. 25 of 1990, dated 12 September 1990; its commencement clause left the date to central government notification [1].
  • The Act came into force on 15 September 1997, about seven years after enactment [2]. Other accounts date the corporation's formation to 23 November 1997 [4].
  • Per the WIPO Lex summary, the Act creates a body corporate whose duty is to organise public broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain, with objectives that include national unity, balanced information and coverage of education, agriculture, health and regional languages [2].
  • A Board headed by a Chairman oversees it, with an Executive Member as chief executive; a Broadcasting Council receives complaints on programmes; accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General [2].
  • The Central Government may issue directions on matters of sovereignty, security or public order, which must be laid before Parliament [2].
  • The Verghese Committee on broadcasting autonomy was appointed in 1977 under the Janata government and its report was studied when the 1990 Bill was drafted, per accounts; some observers say the final Act diluted its recommendations [3][4].
  • The Act was amended in 2008 and 2011 [2].

Why

Reasons given by those who did it

  • The Act was intended to grant autonomy to All India Radio and Doordarshan, which until then were under direct government control [3].
  • The Act's stated objective is public service broadcasting: informing, educating and entertaining the public and serving weaker and remote communities [2].

Criticism of that reasoning

  • Observers, as reported by the iPleaders overview, argue the Act was a dilution of the Verghese Committee's proposals [3].
  • A press report describes the delay in notification as arising because the government of the day considered the Act needed urgent changes [5].

Benefits and concerns

Benefits (2)

  • Placed public broadcasters in a statutory corporation with its own Fund and CAG audit rather than a ministry department.Statutory features listed in the Act's summary [2].
  • Created a complaints channel and parliamentary reporting for government directions.Broadcasting Council; directions on sovereignty, security or public order to be laid before Parliament [2].

Concerns (2)

  • Seven-year gap between enactment and operation.Assented 12 September 1990; in force 15 September 1997 [1][2].
  • Residual executive influence over appointments, directions and funding.Board composition includes government representatives [4] and the Centre has power of directions [2]; the Prasar Bharati article records that the I&B Ministry withheld funds from December 2017 and that Prasar Bharati used contingency funds to pay salaries in 2018 [4].

Evidence points

+2.5
points, mean of two scorers (scale −25 to +25)
+1 to +4
range between the two scorers' totals
Low confidence
scorers agree within 1 point on every criterion
ReachHow many people did the action materially affect?
Mean +1.5A +1B +2
Outcome evidenceDo official or independent data show the intended result (or its opposite), compared with the era baseline and peers?
Mean 0.0A 0B 0
Cost and sustainabilityIs the fiscal cost proportionate, and is the effect durable?
Mean +0.5A 0B +1
Process and rightsWas it made with debate, consultation and legal soundness, and did it respect rights and court rulings?
Mean +1.5A +1B +2
DeliveryWas it implemented as announced, on time and at scale?
Mean −1.0A −1B −1

Positive meanNegative meanScorer AScorer B

Scorer A. Statutory corporation was created but only seven years after enactment, with continued executive influence over appointments, directions and funding.

Scorer B. Statutory corporation created after a seven-year delay, with residual executive influence over directions and funding.

Context used when scoring

Era baseline
Until 1997 All India Radio and Doordarshan functioned as departments under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Lag before outcomes show
5 years
Uncertainty
Low confidence. Scorer totals are +1 and +4. How uncertainty is shown.

In depth

Proposals to give public broadcasting autonomy date from the Verghese Committee of 1977. Parliament passed the Prasar Bharati Bill in 1990 and the President assented on 12 September 1990, but it did not come into force until the Gujral government notified it in 1997.

Supporters see the Act as the statutory basis for editorial independence of public broadcasters. Critics note that the Centre retains powers of direction, that board appointments involve the government, and that funding disputes have recurred. The sources reviewed disagree on some dates (notification versus formation) and none were official Gazette copies, so confidence is low.

The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Supreme Court’s 1995 ruling on airwaves are related developments not covered in this entry.

Sources

  4. Prasar Bharati
    WikipediaMedia
  5. An Act Too Late
    OutlookMedia

Last reviewed .Report an error orchallenge a score.

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