BS People: Rajiv Takru

Strong signal

For Rajiv Takru, 55, the appointment as officiating chief executive officer of public sector broadcaster Prasar Bharati is just an extension of his stint as an additional secretary to the information & broadcasting ministry. The 1979 Gujarat cadre IAS officer joined the ministry in October 2009.

With a spate of alleged financial irregularities coming to light in the award of contracts for the high-definition telecast of the recently-held Delhi Commonwealth Games, Takru will have to straighten out the books at Doordarshan, as well as bring transparency and efficiency to its functioning. Takru replaces B S Lalli, against whom the Supreme Court has initiated an enquiry on a directive from President Pratibha Patil.

Other issues remain to be resolved, too. Around 40,000 Prasar Bharati employees have been agitating for a repeal of the Prasar Bharati Act for some time now. The biggest challenge for Takru, however, is luring back viewership to Doordarshan. Although it is one of the largest in the world in terms of infrastructure, it has seen eyeballs weaned away over the years by private channels.

In a career spanning over 30 years, Takru — a mechanical engineer by training — has shouldered responsibilities at various ministries, both at state and central level. They range from defence and revenue to textiles and warehousing. Prior to his stint at the I&B ministry Takru was director-general of National Institute of Fashion Technology under the ministry of textiles.