I&B ministry mulls adding more names to the pool for Prasar

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is considering broadbasing the pool from which it intends to select four new part-time members of the Prasar Bharati Board by including some more names.
The Ministry had earlier prepared a list comprising seven people including Bollywood star Kajol, singer Anoop Jalota, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's media advisor Ashok Tandon and journalist Minhaz Merchant. Sources said it was later felt that some more names should be added to the list so there can be greater choice for making the selection.
According to the Prasar Bharati Act, its Board should have six part-time members and curently there are four vacancies.

A committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari and comprising Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Chairman of Press Council of India (PCI) would choose the members.
The decision to choose more names, however, would also mean that the appointment of part-time members would take longer since security clearance of the new members would also have to be done.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has already given security clearance to the seven people whose names have been forwarded to it by the I&B ministry. The same process would have to be undertaken with regard to the new names, sources said.
The vacancies of part-time members have existed for over a year as some of them had resigned after a change of government at the Centre.

As per the Prasar Bharati Act, part-time members have to be persons of eminence in public life. While their term of office shall be six years, one-third of them shall retire on expiration of two years.