Prasar Bharati cannot be wished away: Rathore

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Friday said the government sought to induct new members in the Prasar Bharati board while the public broadcaster could not be wished away in view of its role as a job creator in rural areas.

"Prasar Bharati is a cooperation funded by the government till 2019. They are free to access us if they need guidance from us. But apart from that they are an independent organisation. And they act like one," Rathore told the media here.

Noting that the Prasar Bharati board was "very limited and incomplete" due to the absence of full-time as well as part-time members, he said: "We (the ministery) are working on getting new members for the board."

He said Doordarshan, the state-owned channel that falls under Prasar Bharati, seeks to preserve the diverse culture and languages while seeking to promote employment in rural areas despite monetary losses.

"I wish Prasar Bharati was not required. But it invests into regional areas to keep regional culture alive and the language going, and we create employment. We sustain the losses because we have to keep the culture alive."