ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Thursday was informed that the PTV earned a record profit of 5.5 billion rupees this year.
While referring to the auction plan of the previous government who planned to auction the assets of radio and PTV, the minister for information and broadcasting said we used the national assets for public use unlike the former government who came up with the policy of “selling everything”.
The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Jawaria Zafar Aheer.
The committee lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to improve the performance of its attached departments with tireless work in less than 14 months which has also led to economic revival.
The former government of the PTI under the leadership of Imran Khan planned to auction the assets of Radio and PTV to privatise it in 2018. This year, the PTV earned a record profit of 5.5 billion rupees, Federal Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said while briefing the committee. She said all contract employees of the PTV had been regularised.
PTV Peshawar Center has made regional language broadcasting 24 hours. All studios of the PTV Lahore have been upgraded. The PTV Virtual Studio has been set up in Islamabad Centre.
This government has started 24 hours broadcasting in Saraiki language in Multan.
Broadcasting in Pashto language has started 24 hours from Peshawar Centre, she added. Similarly, Sindhi language is being broadcasted 24 hours from PTV Karachi Centre, she maintained.
PTV Film has been launched in PTV Academy. Media-related courses are being started in PTV Academy. She said the journey of economic recovery has begun in PTV and Radio Pakistan.
Cinemas are being established in the limits of Radio Pakistan, Lahore and Peshawar, their foundation stone has been laid, she said.
12 new studios have been established in Radio Pakistan, Islamabad. The work of digitizing the entire archive of Radio Pakistan has started.
On May 9, the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building was burnt down, we have started a project to restore it, she said.
The government first launched the film policy in 2017-18, money will be allocated in this year's budget for film policy, the minister assured.
In the film policy, filmmakers have been given immense privileges, she said, while adding that health insurance has been launched for artists and journalists, too.
She said the ministry and the entire staff is working day and night during the last 14 months to complete these projects.
We came to power and used the national assets for the people, we did not try to auction these assets, she further explained.
The former information minister came up with the policy of selling everything, the federal information minister said.
Today, national broadcasting organisations are playing their role in providing information to the public in a better way, she added.
Regarding the issues of non-payment of salaries, allowances and pensions to the employees of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), the secretary ministry informed that the pensioners of the PBC were facing problems and the government has issued a sufficient budget grant in the current budget, which fulfilled their financial requirements. Further, all arrears have been paid to the employees and pensioners of PBC.
The chairman committee said that ethics is a very important element in journalism and any news regarding incidents should be reported accurately. Further, it is a good development that amendments are being made in the PEMRA Act, 2002, which will further empower PEMRA, she added.
The deputy inspector general of police, ICT, Islamabad told the committee that Islamabad Police is giving priority to journalists in all cases and many cases have been referred to the CIA. The DIG also said that a WhatsApp group has been created for all Islamabad-based journalists in which they will share their issues and problems, which will be resolved immediately.
Later, the committee considered the government bills i.e. “The Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2023”, “The Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2023” and passed the same with slight amendments.
The committee deferred other legislative business and decided to consider the same in the next meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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