News Broadcasting
Govt. okays housing scheme for pubcaster
NEW DELHI: You can term this as a Diwali gift from the government to the employees of the Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati Corporation, which manages Doordarshan and All India Radio.
In a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today, the government approved a proposal on staff quarters for Prasar Bharati.
Although a government spokesperson and finance minister
P Chidambaram did not give out details of the proposal at a briefing today, it is assumed that either the government would continue with the practice of handing out government accommodation to Prasar Bharati employees or would allocate separate funds to the Corporation to address the issue of housing, which is a major concern in big cities of the country.
It is also not clear whether the cash-strapped government would take a big financial hit if it is to make available additional funds to Prasar Bharati for providing housing to employees.
Reacting to the CCEA decision, Robin Dasgupta, chairman of the National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees (NFADE), told indiantelevision.com, “It’s a welcome decision because one of the points on which we were agitating related to the acute housing problems in big cities for our colleagues.”
NFADE is an apex body comprising 20 employees unions
of Prasar Bharati.
The cabinet decision comes two days after NFADE held a demonstration in Delhi demanding redressal of its grievances. This list included housing. An earlier government decision was to discontinue the practice of providing government accommodation to Prasar Bharati employees on the ground that it is now an autonomous body and the employees are not entitled to some of the governmental perks.
Though the Prasar Bharati Act was amended in 1997 and DD and AIR stopped being government organizations, the
status of the employees of Prasar Bharati Corporation remained in the gray area. Are they government employees
or employees of a cash-strapped autonomous organisation? The debate continues as some rules of Prasar Bharati, relating to employees’ status, have not been notified yet.
Still, over the years, the government has been reducing various perks extended to Prasar Bharati employees. For example, a moratorium, for vacating government accommodation was extended to 2007 after the employees protested in 2003.
Keeping this in mind, NFADE had also demanded that the Prasar Bharati Act be further amended to include funding for housing of the organisation’s employees.
Prasar Bharati primarily runs on grant-in-aid from the government, which was reduced to approximately Rs. 8,210 million this year.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
