Prasar Bharati
Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Prasar Bharati is India's public broadcaster. It is a statutory body, which means a law created it: the Prasar Bharati Act 1990. The Act came into force on 23 November 1997. Prasar Bharati runs Doordarshan (television) and Akashvani (All India Radio). The aim was to free public broadcasting from direct government control. How much real autonomy it has is still debated.
Example
Before Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan and Akashvani were run directly by the government. Since 1997 they work under this statutory corporation. Critics still ask whether public broadcasting is truly independent.
Don't confuse with
- NBDSA: a self-regulatory body for private news channels. It hears complaints but does not broadcast anything.
- Press Council of India: regulates print media ethics. It does not deal with radio or TV.
Related concepts
- Fourth pillar of democracy
- Press Council of India
- Press and Registration of Periodicals Act 2023
- News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority
- IT Rules 2021