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DD News staff move CAT as contracts not renewed, even as DD advertises for new staff
NEW DELHI: Doordarshan News has denied that it has asked contractual journalists to look for another job by June-end.
DD News director general Akshay Rout told Indiantelevision.com that no such action had been taken and the rumours were baseless.
However, some of these journalists have moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) seeking a restraining order (injunction) against DD News management’s decision to terminate services of about 100 employees. The petition alleges that the management’s decision to end service contracts is “illegal and against its own policy of renewing contracts every year in case it is not terminated.”
The tribunal that admitted the petition on 27 February has issued a stay order on the move stating that “one set of contractual employees shall not be replaced by another set of contractual employees.” It has also directed Prasar Bharati to respond by 30 March. The notice has also gone to Prasar Bharati and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The news staff apprehend that the entire contractual workforce would be removed in a phased manner.
It is learnt from some news staff that certain senior officials have not only been threatening contractual staff, but also begun giving them long duties or night duties.
Simultaneously, the DD News website carries an advertisement for hiring 20 news correspondents and editors and offers pay packages of over Rs 1 lakh.
The petition has been moved by 31 journalists, who claim they were informally told to leave the organisation. “They [contractual journalists] have been forced to work and do their normal duties even without formal letters of employment being extended, they are now sought to be illegally removed from services,” states the petition. The management has already fired three contractual journalists sending strong warning signals to the rest of temporary workforce, petitioner Anil Punia told Indiantelevision.com.
Punia stated that DD News has an editorial staff of about 300 in its national bureau. Of this, about 250 are contractual employees and rest are permanent officials drawn mainly from Indian Information Service (IIS).
He also said that some of these contractual staff had been working for more than 10 years, but they were asked to keep on working even though their contracts were not renewed in October 2013.
The petition states that mass hiring of contractual employees happened in 2003 when the channel was launched and in 2006 during news channel boom. A majority of them were hired from the Indian Institute of the Mass Communications.
In the absence of a clear human resource policy, for the last 11 years, the DD News management has been renewing work contracts on yearly basis. However, employees complain that since the past three years contracts were renewed arbitrarily.
In March, most journalists got three months extension until June.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
