Can a television be launched in India with a budget of just Rs 30-40 crore, and that too on borrowed equipment? The Rajya Sabha is attempting to do this for a new channel which would not only transmit the upper House proceeding when it is in session but try and change some of the apathy that has crept in with regard to Parliamentary proceedings among the people.
?Very clearly, why would anyone like to watch Parliament proceedings? Whenever people are stuck, they either resort to the media, PILs or street protests. We are reviving the functioning of the petitions committee, which is currently headed by Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari of the BJP. Through this committee, people can write in tehir problems and it would be resolved at the highest levels,? said an official associated with the channel.
The advisory board for the channel has been drawn from the pool of talent available in the Rajya Sabha itself, including Pioneer editor Chandan Mitra, Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, CPI(M) MP Sitaram Yechury, filmmaker Shyam Benegal, BSP MP Satish Mishra, lyricist Javed Akhtar, former journalist H K Dua and Balchandra Mungekar, a former member of the Planning Commission. Deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Rahman Khan will be heading the body.
The initial budget of the channel is just Rs 30-40 crore, and it will operate out of space provided by public broadcaster Doordarshan in its initial phase. ?We have asked for space on the Parliament premises. Lets see,? said an official associated with the project.
The wholly publicly supported channel will not be open to advertisements, and expect to draw additional funding from the media budgets of various state governments.
?Since it is the House of the States, we thought we could draw on those resources,? said a member of the advisory board.
The channel is still to be launched. ?Some time next year? is what anyone would commit on the matter. ?This will be a programming based channel, and we hope to bring something new out of the experience,? the official said.