DD, AIR to recall foreign reporters

At a meeting of the Prasar Bharati Board here on August 13, a suggestion was made to review the performance of foreign correspondents and call them back.

It was felt with a 24-hour news channel gone, and with round the clock news bulletins on the main channel, PTI or UNI correspondents posted around the world could be pressed in for the job whenever required.

‘‘Moreover there is little of international news on the national channel,’’ sources said. The sub-text being the correspondents were not doing their jobs — a fact pointed out late last year when a suggestion was made to lay down parameters for news coverage from abroad.

Goof-ups in the recent past have also not gone unnoticed. The September 11 attacks last year went unreported in the first crucial hours.

When Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj was making waves in Cannes with private news channels lapping up every word she uttered, the DD correspondent was the last one to reach the Minister.

‘‘Correspondents are happy to send voice-overs instead of reporting,’’ officials complained.

Roughly, a foreign correspondent, gets a little over a lakh as foreign deputation allowance in addition to his salary.

‘‘To this is added incidentals such as health allowance, house rent (1.50 lakh per month and stationary. Education allowance is given to children — all going to make a hefty pile,’’ officials said. Postings last three years.

As of now, DD/AIR have six correspondents in Colombo, Dhaka, Islamabad, Washington, Brussels and Hong Kong. Islamabad, Kathmandu and Dubai have had no correspondents in the recent past.

There was even a debate on posting a correspondent in Kabul after the Taliban fell. This was in lieu of the Dubai posting. Nothing has been heard about it since then.

What has been heard however, is that the Prasar Bharati wants to have a say in the matter — a job that has so far been the prerogative of the I&B Ministry.