Takru named acting CEO of Prasar Bharati

Public sector broadcaster Prasar Bharati today appointed Rajiv Takru, additional secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as the chief executive officer.

The move followed the recent suspension of B S Lalli against whom an inquiry has been ordered for alleged financial irregularities and providing undue favors to some broadcasters during the Commonwealth Games. Takru will be the officiating CEO for the interim period till the inquiry against Lalli ordered by the Supreme Court is completed.

Takru, who is a nominated member on the Prasar Bharati board, “may exercise all such powers and discharge all functions vested with the chief executive officer until further directions of the board and work continually under the overall direction, control and supervision of the chairperson”. The board also formed five committees dealing with finance, personnel, production and content, project monitoring and implementation and strategy and vision to regulate the functioning of the broadcaster. The committees will start functioning immediately and submit monthly reports to the board with a view to have workable plans by March 31, 2011.

The five committees were set up to ensure that there are “no snarls in the day-to-day decision making”, Mrinal Pande, chairperson, Prasar Bharati said.

The decision to dissolve the three-member committee comprising the CEO, member (finance) and member (personnel) that had been monitoring the day-to-day work of the organisation under a previous decision of the board was also taken at the meeting.

President Pratibha Patil had ordered the suspension of Lalli last month.