NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati has received clearance for immediately filling up 1150 posts out of the 3452 posts which had been identified as critical and approved by group of ministers in June 2009.

Following the recommendation by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry, the proposal for clearance of the balance posts is under active consideration of the Department of Expenditure.

Various steps taken by Prasar Bharati were approved by its board today in a meeting presided over by chairperson Mrinal Pande.

Approval has also been accorded for recruitment of Group B and C posts through Staff Selection Commission pending setting up of a recruitment board.

An advertisement for 3023 posts in various categories (Production Executives, Transmission Executives, Production Assistants, Cameraman Grade II, Engineering Assistants, Technicians, Head clerks/ Assistants) have been released.

This is the first major recruitment in Prasar Bharati in 15 years and was managed through perseverance of senior officials in the Ministry and Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jawhar Sircar.

Sircar told Radioandmusic.com that a High Power Committee has been constituted to scrutinize proposals of the Departmental Promotions Committees (DPCs) before these are referred to the government so that the proposals are flawless and delay on account of cross references is avoided.

Efforts are also being made to reduce stagnation to the extent possible by giving in-situ promotions, adhoc promotions as well as current duty charge of the higher posts.

Wherever courts have given stay on holding DPCs, concerted efforts are being made to get the stay vacated in the interest of the employees.

He said efforts are now being made to set up the Recruitment Board, finalise Recruitment Regulations, and filling up the vacant posts.

With these efforts made during the last one year, proposals for setting up of Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board and finalisation of Recruitment Regulations have been pushed through and are in the final stage of approval.

The public broadcaster has also attended to the vexed problems of casual artists, assignees and workers with temporary status. Casual assignees would be benefitted by an enabling provision of relaxation of age to the extent of approved service rendered in the relevant post.

For regulating the system of appointments on compassionate ground to a dependent family member of an employee who dies in harness and leaves his family in financial distress, an SOP has been developed for bringing in objectivity and transparency.