Is the Bill to revive the Prasar Bharati Act ready?
It's not a 'new' legislation. It's only a one-line Bill reinstating the Prasar Bharati Act of 1990. The Act was implemented in an amended form by the United Front government, which made the board unaccountable to Parliament. We want to change that.
Are you sure the Bill will sail through Parliament?
I anticipate absolutely no problem.
You said the Prasar Bharati board should take no major decision in the interregnum—doesn't that undermine its autonomy?
Not at all. It's not a written diktat, only a piece of advice. In any case, it is not meant for the board as a whole, but only for the chief executive who has been taking all the decisions on his own.
Is that why you want S.S. Gill out?
I have nothing personal against him. He is overage and he has to go once the old Act comes back.
What kind of person are you looking for in his place?
The selection committee headed by the Vice President will decide. We only want a person with administrative acumen, media vision and 100 per cent integrity. When the old Act is revived, two other crucial positions in the board—member
(finance) and member (personnel)—will also be filled up. Only then will the board be given full shape.
What about the other members of the board?
They won't be touched. True, the board was constituted in dirty haste barely a week before the I.K. Gujral government fell in December last year, but there is no law that disqualifies the members. They are all people of eminence.
Critics accuse you of trying to secure a grip on the public broadcaster. What's your defence?
The allegation is baseless. Prasar Bharati will be accountable to Parliament, not to the government. We are more committed to autonomy than anyone else. It was during L.K. Advani's tenure as I&B minister in 1977-79 that the entire exercise began.
Why has the granting of industry status for filmmaking been greeted with scepticism?
Filmmaking is a high-risk business, so people will be a bit wary to begin with. What we've done is to remove the restriction on banks that want to fund films if they find it feasible. It is now for the industry to make the most of the opportunity.
The film industry has long been demanding that censorship be abolished. What is your stand?
I'm not in favour of doing away with censorship. But I've proposed a new mechanism which will allow a filmmaker to opt for the 'green channel' if he is certain that his film doesn't need to go before the censors. But if we detect any violation of the guidelines—these will be clearly spelt out—after the film's release, the punitive action will be swift and stringent.
