Over payment to BCCI: PAC asks I&B ministry to recover amount

Upset over Prasar Bharati's excess payment of over Rs 3 crore to the Indian cricket board for telecast rights of one-day matches in 2005, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the Information & Broadcasting ministry to recover the amount and act against those responsible.
In its 73rd report, the PAC under the chairmanship of Murli Manohar Joshi has asked the ministry to apprise it of the steps taken.
It noted that the Comptroller and Auditor General in an earlier report had highlighted a case of loss of Rs 3.39 crore to the public exchequer.
The CAG had found that as per an agreement between Prasar Bharati and the BCCI for the telecast of 12 ODI matches during October-November 2005, if a full match was not played, the payment was to be based on number of hours played.

The agreement also provided that a ball being bowled in a match shall be deemed to a match having been played. The committee said that based on the analogy in the agreement of the draft, Prasar Bharati did not reduce the payment for five matches resulting in the loss of Rs 3.39 crore.
After the CAG findings, the PAC had asked the I&B ministry to recover the amount following which the ministry said that they were acting on the recommendation.
In its report that was tabled in the Parliament today, the PAC said that while the ministry has asked BCCI to refund the excess amount, the outcome of the action is not clear.

"The committee would like to be apprised of the response of the BCCI in this regard and the payments made, if any," the PAC report said.