For many years now, especially since the advent of digital media, Doordarshan, the state broadcaster, has been trading on nostalgia. Its efforts to stay relevant have been hampered by successive governments that have shown reluctance to unleash the broadcaster from their clutches. Now there seems to be yet another move to keep the old broadcaster alive and ticking.
According to sources, DD will be restructured to turn its creative functions into a special vertical for content operations. Apparently, a search and select committee for this purpose has been created. It is headed by Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash, who has been authorized to select suitable professionals for the role of chief content officer and channel heads.
The Chief Content Officer will be responsible for the content functions and operations across the Doordarshan network and will align with the goals of Prasar Bharati. The Content Heads will manage individual channels. Will we see considerable changes (read improvement) in the content of the national and regional channels of DD? Few would bet on it.
More changes ahead for babus
The Modi sarkar is said to preparing to reduce about 61 civil service categories to about three or four. Last year the Niti Aayog had recommended reducing the number of categories, and the government is actively considering the proposal.
According to sources, speculation in this regard has gathered strength after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) prepared a five-year vision document which focuses on reducing the number of civil services categories for better functioning of the government and for better delivery of government services.
One dominant train of thought seems to believe that the government could bring all non-technical services under the rubric of the IAS, all police and security-related services under the IPS and all technical services under the overall umbrella of an Indian Technical Service. But there are other rumours too.
Still, these are early days and no one can really say which way the government will go. And there is the overwhelming question: will the Group ‘A’ babus go along with the idea? The weeks ahead should provide a sign. Watch this space for updates.
CAPF officers appeal to Shah
Senior officials of the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have reportedly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention to end alleged discrimination by IPS officers in getting their service benefits, among other things.
The officers have also launched a social media campaign, saying that despite a recent Supreme Court order and subsequent approval by the Union Cabinet, their headquarters are creating impediments in the process of granting them organised service benefits and sanction of more posts in supervisory ranks by reducing those manned by the IPS. According to sources, the CAPF officers have urged Shah to take “desirable action” so that their recruitment rules (RRs) are amended and a fresh cadre review is done in line with what is valid for an organised central service.
The framing of new recruitment rules will enable these officers to have more positions in supervisory ranks, at present manned majorly by Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. Apparently, the headquarters of these forces are either going slow or are reluctant to finish proceedings that will give them full benefits, as this affects career prospects of IPS officers who join these forces on deputation.
Earlier, the Modi sarkar had announced that the cadre officers of forces like CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB will be given non-functional financial upgradation and will be categorised as an organised Group ‘A’ service.
