Remodelling of Doordarshan: Actor Kajol may lead Prasar Bharti board

NEW DELHI: It might soon be the case of dilwale doordarshan le jayenge. Actor Kajol has made it to the list of names proposed by the government to complete the Prasar Bharti board. The government, it is understood, is harping on the actor for the "remodelling of Doordarshan" and making it commercially viable.
The I&B ministry had sent a list of seven names for part time board members for the public broadcaster to the home ministry, all of which were approved today. The list now has been sent to the vice president who will shortlist four of them. Other names in the list include noted bhajan singer Anup Jalota, Vajpayee’s media advisor Ashok Tandon and senior journalist Minhaz Merchant.

These names have been shortlisted to fill up four vacancies for part time members of the board. The vice president will convene a meeting with the I&B secretary and Chairman of Press Council where in the final names will be announced.

It is understood that minister Arun Jaitley has been insistent on revamping doordarshan and making it commercially viable by involving more professionals in the functioning of the institute. Officials say this is the first time a celebrity of Kajol’s stature has been considered for the post. "The government is looking at changing the look and feel of doordarshan completely in the next few months and it is important we have someone accomplished and from the mainstream entertainment industry to revamp the content in Doordarshan. Hence Kajol was considered," an official said.

The government has been pushing for larger involvement of the film industry in its organisations. While a few months ago it had called for filmmakers and actors to help the government in its skill India programme by offering talks and worshops in government institutions, Jaitley himself is said to have asked film personalities to come together and run FTII, the government run film school in Pune. Prasar Bharati is governed by a board, which comprises a chairman, an executive member (chief executive officer), a member (finance), a member (personnel), six part-time members, a representative of the I&B ministry and DGs of All India Radio and Doordarshan as ex-officio members.

The last appointees of the UPA government to the board were in March 2014 - Dipa Dikshit daughter of former foreign secretary J N Dixit and CR Kesavan reat-grandson of India’s last governor-general C Rajagopalachari who resigned when the new government w a s formed.