Parliament Question: Contract with media professionals by Prasar Bharati

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1690 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026) CONTRACT WITH MEDIA PROFESSIONALS BY PRASAR BHARATI 1690. DR. V. SIVADASAN: Will the Minister of Information and Broadcasting be pleased to state: (a) whether Prasar Bharati/Doordarshan has entered into any contract with any media professionals for producing or anchoring a show on DD News at a specified annual remuneration, if so, the details of such contracts including the name of the individual/production entity, duration, value and key terms of the agreement; (b) the criteria and process for selecting entities for such a contract, including whether competitive bidding was used and the guidelines followed for remuneration engagement; and (c) whether there are any policy or guidelines governing the engagement of external media professionals on public broadcasting platforms, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (c): Contractual Engagement Policy, 2021 of Prasar Bharati provides for engagement of contractual personnel in DD News. DD News has also engaged the services of a few entities as per requirement after following due procedure. Doordarshan hires artists and casual assignees for programme production/operations as per extant Doordarshan Rate Card available on https://prasarbharati.gov.in/wp- content/uploads/2025/02/rate-card.pdf. ******