To allow public broadcaster Prasar Bharati to fill key positions, the Union Cabinet has given a go-ahead to an Information and Broadcasting ministry proposal which sought that individuals upto the age of 62 years be considered for these posts.
A highly-placed source said the tenure of current Prasar Bharati chairperson Mrinal Pande is about to end soon and another important position, Member (Personnel) has also been vacant for some time.
Sources said a Group of Ministers (GoM) had earlier recommended that the age for these positions be lowered to 55 years and that recommendation has been under the consideration of the government.
"The implementation of GoM recommendations for lowering the age requires an amendement to the Prasar Bharati Act which is a time-consuming process. Since important vacancies have arisen, the ministry had sought relaxation from the GoM recommendations and requested that the posts be filled up as per the existing provisions in the Act," a sources said.
The cabinet has given its go-ahead that these senior positions can be filled up, the source added.
