Budget 2001: A Primer

For instance, some Opposition members including Mr CM Ibrahim and Ms RenukaChouwdhury are now raising questions on how much amount has been waived byPrasar Bharati for AB Corp. Interestingly, the Information & BroadcastingMinister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, at whom the Bachchan-Prasar Bharati questionswere addressed, replied that data was being collected on the subject. Allthis when the then CEO of Prasar Bharati, Mr RR Shah, had announced inDecember 2000 that Mr Bachchan had paid 50 per cent of the principal amount- Rs 20.31 crore - and that he would clear the remaining amount by September2001. The tricky issue is, however, the interest on this amount, which worksout to a hefty Rs 1 crore.