NEW DELHI: An Inter-Ministerial committee has been set up with experts from different ministries and departments to examine all reports received from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) relating to ‘broadcast services’, before the ‘appropriate authority in the Government of India’ takes policy decisions related to them.

Chaired by the additional secretary of the I&B Ministry, the committee will have representatives of the Departments of Information Technology, Telecommunications, Economic Affairs, and Industrial Policy and Promotion apart from some experts. The representatives of these Ministries will be of a rank not lower than Joint Secretary.

The two Joint Secretaries (Broadcasting) in the I&B Ministry will serve as member secretaries depending on the subject and section concerned.

The experts in the committee include the chairman and managing director of the Broadcasting Engineering Consultants India Ltd, the director-generals of Doordarshan and All India Radio, and the engineers-in-chief of DD and AIR.

An I&B Ministry notice states that the committee may co-opt any number considered necessary from time to time.

Recommendations of the IMC would be communicated to the I&B Ministry secretary and ‘thereafter to the minister for instructions on matters relating to the recommendations of TRAI'.

Ministry sources told Radioandmusic.com that the TRAI report relating to non-entry of political parties, centre or state governments into broadcasting and distribution services is the first item on the agenda of the IMC, even as the Ministry prepares to seek opinion of TRAI on surrogate ownership by political parties or politicians.