Jawahar Sircar writes to Government offering to quit

Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, who had earlier expressed desire to give up the post, has now formally written to the government seeking to relinquish his office with effect from first week of November.

In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, he said he would like to be relieved from the coveted post after Diwali, official sources said here on Tuesday.

He has also written a formal letter to the Ministry.

For about a month now, Sircar has been giving indication of his willingness to quit and on September 3 in a Facebook posting had written, ".....I hope to be back home before winter".

Sircar hails from Kolkata.

In yet another posting on September 30, he wrote: "I love to be in the field with my boys, who run the 500 stations of Akashvani and Doordarshan: from Kargil to Kanya Kumari, from Kohima to Kutch! My last such trip (?) to Panaji today. God bless you AIR DD !"

Sircar's tenure otherwise is scheduled to end by February 2017.

A section of BJP leaders were not happy with the manner Doordarshan and AIR discharged the responsibilities especially in the context of current affairs programmes under Sircar.

There has been strong speculation about Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, appointed in 2012 by Congress-led Manmohan Singh government, is being eased out by year end.

Officials in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry indicated to IANS last month that Sunil Arora, a former I&B secretary may be appointed to the coveted post.

Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati is considered a key post with autonomous powers as CEO is responsible for running state-owned Doordarshan and public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR). Prasar Bharati is, however, headed by a chairman.

--IANS

nd/sku/