Thiruvananthapuram: All India Radio has come out with an order stating that government officials who are working in other departments should not be presenting programmes on AIR. The order in effect ends a practice in vogue ever since its inception and shuts the door on close to 300 people across the state.
It was on 27 March Mr. Bhim Prakash Sharma, the Prasar Bharati’s assistant director of programmes (SW) who came out with an order on behalf of director-general that all AIR stations are instructed not to engage state/central government employees on contract. The order also stated that the stations doing such bookings for six days or less in a month are required to submit a complete statement on such engagements giving details indicating names of the engagement, number of bookings being given and payments received by the casual programme announcer per month.
The order came as a rude shock to the state and central government employees who have been engaged in programme presentation on a casual basis. A casual employee at Thiruvananthapuram radio station who is also a state government employee told DC that the existing rule allow employees to present their artistic talents on AIR as long as it did not affect their jobs.
“There have been hundreds of government employees who had showed off their artistic talents right from the inception of AIR,” said a casual employee of AIR. “The Kerala Service Rules allow us to work in AIR. The central government should reconsider the order.”
R. Vimalasenan Nair, station head of Thiruvananthapuram AIR, told DC that the station has to abide by the D-G’s orders.
