PTV removed from privatisation list

A cabinet committee has accorded approval of removing PTV from the privatisation list on the request of the Federal Information Ministry.

The body accepted the information ministry’s request at a meeting with Dr Hafeez Shaikh in the chair on Wednesday.

According to the Information Ministry, reforms were being introduced and professional management was being appointed to fortify the PTV so that it could project the state narrative forcefully.

Last year, the PTV admin claimed in a press statement to have earned an operational profit of Rs300 million. It released the statement to justify its proposal of raising its revenue by increasing TV licence fees that included in electricity bills. It stressed that public broadcasters around the world are supported by their governments to project their national narrative and that the current amount being charged is a paltry sum of money.

The Hafeez Shaikh-led meeting also gave go-ahead to forensic audit of state institutes on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan. It was briefed about progress on the Draft SOE Bill 2020.