How to File RTI with Prasar Bharati (AIR / Doordarshan) for Employment, Programme Content, and Broadcasting Policies

Prasar Bharati — Broadcasting Corporation of India — is the statutory public broadcaster of India, established under the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990. It operates two of India's largest broadcasting networks: All India Radio (AIR), which runs hundreds of stations covering regional, national, and international services; and Doordarshan (DD), the national public television broadcaster. Although Prasar Bharati functions under the broad policy oversight of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it is a distinct, autonomous statutory corporation with its own Board of Directors, CEO, and separate establishment — not a ministry department.

Prasar Bharati is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. It was constituted by an Act of Parliament and receives substantial Central Government funding. Citizens — whether current or prospective employees, journalism researchers, language rights advocates, or advertisers seeking rate transparency — can file RTI applications with the CPIO at Prasar Bharati's headquarters in New Delhi to obtain official, authoritative records that are not available through public portals.

What Prasar Bharati Covers — and Why It Matters for RTI

Prasar Bharati is a large employer and a powerful content institution. Its operations span two distinct domains, each generating records that are disclosable through RTI.

Employment and service matters: Prasar Bharati directly employs several thousand staff in technical, programme, administrative, and engineering cadres across AIR and DD stations nationwide. It also engages workers through BECIL (Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited), a Central PSU that often handles contractual recruitment on Prasar Bharati's behalf. Employment-related RTI queries cover recruitment examination results, merit lists, seniority lists, promotion criteria, Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) records, and grievance outcomes.

Programming, content policy, and advertising: Prasar Bharati sets and implements policies governing broadcast content on AIR and DD — including the time devoted to regional and minority languages, cultural programming, news slots, and sponsored content. It also fixes advertising rate cards for different AIR stations and DD channels. These policy and commercial records are administrative in nature and fully disclosable under the RTI Act.

Filing RTI with Prasar Bharati vs. the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: If your query is specifically about Prasar Bharati's employment, content programming, or advertising, file RTI with the CPIO at Prasar Bharati, not the MIB. The MIB handles ministry-level policy, film certification (CBFC), press accreditation, and cable TV regulation. Filing with MIB for Prasar Bharati-specific records will at best result in a transfer of your application, adding delay.

RTI for Employment and Recruitment Matters

Prasar Bharati recruitment — whether for engineering posts, programme executives, or multi-tasking staff — typically involves a written examination followed by a skill test or interview. Results, cut-off marks, and merit lists from these examinations are official records.

Examination results and marks: File RTI providing your roll number and asking for: (1) your marks obtained in each paper or section; (2) category-wise cut-off marks (UR, OBC, SC, ST, EWS) for the relevant post and examination; (3) the total number of vacancies advertised and the total number of candidates finally selected category-wise. If the examination was conducted by BECIL on behalf of Prasar Bharati, note this in your RTI and direct the application to Prasar Bharati, requesting it to furnish or procure the relevant information. Alternatively, file a separate RTI with BECIL, which is itself a public authority.

Seniority lists: The seniority list for a cadre at a particular station or zone is an official record maintained by Prasar Bharati. It specifies the date of appointment or promotion for each employee and their ranking relative to colleagues in the same cadre. This is particularly useful where two employees are competing for a promotion vacancy and dispute their relative seniority. File RTI asking for the seniority list as on a specific date for the post, station, and zone you are interested in.

Promotion criteria and DPC records: Prasar Bharati's Recruitment and Service Rules (RSR) and Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) guidelines govern the criteria for promotion between grades. These rules — including minimum service requirements, departmental examination requirements, and APAR/ACR benchmarks — are disclosable. If you believe a DPC was convened but you were overlooked, file RTI asking for: (1) the DPC minutes for the relevant year and cadre; (2) the number of vacancies in the promoted post; (3) the promotion criteria in force; and (4) the names and seniority of candidates considered. DPC minutes may be partially redacted under Section 8(1)(j) (privacy of third parties), but the criteria, vacancy position, and aggregate outcome must be disclosed.

RTI for Programme Content, Regional Languages, and Broadcast Schedules

Prasar Bharati's mandate under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 includes ensuring adequate representation of regional languages and diverse cultural communities in AIR and DD programming. The actual implementation of this mandate — in terms of hours assigned to specific languages or programme genres — is an official policy matter, and the records are disclosable through RTI.

Regional language air time: Citizens concerned about the representation of a specific language — whether Maithili, Konkani, Santali, Bodo, Kashmiri, or another language — can file RTI asking for the current weekly broadcast schedule for a specified AIR station or DD channel, broken down by language. You can also ask for the policy or guideline that sets the minimum air time for that language and whether there has been any change (increase or decrease) in the allocated time over the past two years.

Programme content guidelines: Prasar Bharati issues content guidelines and codes of conduct for AIR and DD programmes, covering news, cultural shows, sponsored programmes, and political broadcasts. These guidelines, to the extent that they are not in the nature of internal deliberations exempt under Section 8(1)(i), are administrative policies — they can be requested through RTI.

Advertising rate cards: RTI can be used to obtain the current advertising rate card for any AIR station or DD channel — including spot rates for different commercial time bands, concessional rates for government/social sector campaigns, and bulk booking discounts. This information is relevant to advertisers, media planners, and accountability researchers tracking public resource allocation.

How to File RTI with Prasar Bharati

Prasar Bharati is mapped on the Central Government RTI portal. The preferred route is online filing through rtionline.gov.in.

Online (recommended):

1. Visit rtionline.gov.in and log in or register
2. Click Submit Request
3. Select: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting → Prasar Bharati
4. Type or paste your application in the text box (3,000-character limit). If your query is longer, attach it as a PDF
5. Pay ₹10 online via net banking, debit/credit card, or UPI. BPL cardholders are exempt — attach a self-attested copy of your BPL card
6. Submit and note the registration number for tracking

By post (if filing offline): Address your application to the CPIO, Prasar Bharati, Prasar Bharati House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi – 110001. Include a demand draft or Indian Postal Order of ₹10 in favour of "Accounts Officer, Prasar Bharati". BPL cardholders should enclose a self-attested copy of their BPL card and need not pay the fee.

Tips for an effective application:

• Be specific about the post name, station, zone, examination advertisement number, or regional language you are asking about. Vague requests invite partial responses.
• If your query involves employment at a specific regional AIR or DD station (e.g., AIR Bhubaneswar or DD Kashir), note that information may be held at the regional level. You can direct the CPIO at headquarters to obtain and furnish it, or file RTI with the CPIO of the regional unit.
• Keep a copy of all submissions and responses for use in any First Appeal or Second Appeal proceedings.

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or if the response is incomplete, incorrect, or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at Prasar Bharati within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The FAA is a senior officer at Prasar Bharati headquarters designated for this purpose.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is also absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days. Prasar Bharati is a statutory body established under a Central Act and funded by the Central Government — second appeals always go to the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, the CIC can impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on a CPIO who fails to provide information without reasonable cause, or who knowingly provides incomplete, incorrect, or misleading information.