Budgetary proposals for FY26 PSDP: Information ministry’s 14 projects worth Rs8.558bn cleared

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting approved the budgetary proposals of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for Public Sector Development Programme 2025-26, comprising a total of 14 projects with proposed allocation of Rs8.558 billion.

The committee, while according approval to the proposal, asked the Finance and Planning Divisions to accord priority to these projects and make timely financial releases enabling the ministry to initiate and complete the projects.

The committee met under the chairmanship of Pullain Baloch, to discuss agenda relating to PSDP of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its associated public bodies.

The committee was apprised that six ongoing and eight new projects have been included in the PSDP for the next year related to the upgradation of infrastructure in PTV and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. The projects included launching a dedicated Channel for live coverage of parliamentary proceedings with a total cost of Rs1.6 billion, establishment of Sport Studio with a total cost of Rs1.7 billion, Digital Channel of PTVC for alternative revenue streams with a total cost of Rs780 million, extension of Sautul Quran FM Network (Peshawar - Karachi Motorways) with a total cost of Rs550 million, strengthening radio signals in Gilgit-Baltistan area with a total cost of Rs1 billion and replacement of Transmitting Equipment and Rehabilitation of PBC Lahore Building with a total cost of Rs1 billion.

The committee underscored the need for expanding coverage of broadcast and telecast of content through state-owned media and generating counter narrative for effectively countering anti-state propaganda especially in Balochistan and frontier regions. The committee decided to have a briefing on the programme content and the presenters of Radio Broadcast through PBC stations in Balochistan in its next meeting. The committee commended all new initiatives of the ministry. The committee also decided to visit and have a briefing on newly established state-of-the-art Center for Digital Communications in Islamabad.

The committee taking note of the agitation by media with respect to recent legislation on electronic crimes, stressed engagement between the government and all Unions of Journalists, Press Clubs, Associations of Director News, APNS and CPNE for addressing their concerns. The Minister for Information agreed with the proposal and said that the recent law had nothing to do with curbing the freedom of expression and the same was to regulate the unregulated digital media sector.

The committee called for provision of details of anchors hired in PTV, their packages and recent hiring in all departments under the Ministry of Information in next meeting of the committee.

The committee while disapproving the reply of the ministry on revision of rates of rents of PBC properties, directed to take up the issue with Ministry of Housing and Works for bringing the same at par with the prevalent market rates. The committee observed that the Housing Ministry had fixed the rates of rent in year 2017 and considerable time had elapsed, thus, necessitates revision. Taking notice of the excessive advertisements on TV channels during prime time and sports matches, the committee directed PEMRA to issue advisory to its licensees to relay advertisements within the limit as prescribed in the PEMRA regulations.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025