Raj-era extravaganza of Rajya Sabha TV scoff at 'austerity'

Its budget is bigger than that of any other government channel and growing; it generates no revenue because it shows no advertisements, even government ones; and it doesn't track viewership ratings either. Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV), which has spent Rs1,700 crore in four years, is instead bankrolled completely by the upper house of Parliament and therefore the tax payer.

The Lok Sabha had already been telecasting proceedings of the lower house live when the Rajya Sabha made a bid four years ago to do the same using parliament's Sansad Cable Network with a modest budget of Rs1.55 crore. But, as official documents accessed by dna show, a decision was then taken, backed by Rajya Sabha chairman and country's Vice President Hamid Ansari, to launch an independent Rajya Sabha channel.

The initial cost to set up channel was Rs28.94 crore. This has been escalating since. It would have cost just Rs1.55 crore (annually) if Rajya Sabha proceedings had been telecast live using the Lok Sabha platform.

While many private news TV channels have closed down owing to paucity of funds, RSTV is growing bigger and bigger. At Rs69.28 crore, the channel's annual budget in 2014-15 is five times more than Lok Sabha TV's (LSTV) Rs12.35 crore. On average, each of the 19 Doordarshan channels has a budget of just Rs20 crore per annum.

Comptroller and Auditor General, in its draft report accessed by dna, says the RSTV has no roadmap. The raison d'etre of running such a news channel is itself questionable. Elsewhere in the world, including countries of the European Union and the US, parliamentary proceedings are shown through webcasts that cost a pittance.

In 2013-14, LSTV generated a revenue of Rs13.98 crore through awareness and publicity advertisements of the government and public sector units (PSU). RSTV has no such source of funding.

According to channel CEO Gurdeep Sappal, "The Rajya Sabha committee has decided that being directly under Parliament, we will not take money from people and so we do not even air government advertisements."

Defending the channel, he said the quality of shows was at par with any private news channel. But in the era of cut throat competition and TRP (Television Rating Point) wars, RSTV stays out of both.

"I am against the whole TRP game. But any average person on comparison will find that we are as good as any other private channel," Sappal told dna.

The channel has four web links, whose viewership when put together does not exceed one lakh. "Initially the plan was to set up RSTV under the Sansad Cable Network, wherein it was to share the infrastructure and facilities of LSTV. But when LSTV failed to cooperate, an independent set-up was created,'' he said.

The CAG's draft report questioned the very relevance of RSTV, which does not follow the salary scale of either the Rajya Sabha secretariat or the government.

RSTV has appointed 103 professionals on contract basis with consolidated high value of fees following no established procedure and standards.

The CAG has also observed that the RSTV management has taken several ad hoc measures. For instance, it envisaged the use of outdated SD technology whereas the requirement was the latest HD technology, it has alleged in its draft report. It also proposed one studio instead of two – one for news and another for programming.

Till February 2012, even before the channel was fully functional, RSTV executive directors and executive editors had spent Rs 60 lakh on travel by taxis, the CAG's draft report reveals. RSTV was to begin telecasting from May 2011 but could not be fully functional till May 2012.

Also, Secretary (expenditure) Rata P Watal recently expressed displeasure that RSTV was operating its studio at Noida and simultaneously planning a new one by hiring office space at the Talkatora Stadium complex. Ministry of Finance conveyed this through a note to Rajya Sabha and advocated that there has to be a mandatory cut of 10 per cent on all the expenses, including that of RSTV.

A PIL exposing irregularities in appointment of senior officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above in the Rajya Sabha secretariat comes up for hearing in the court of Chief Justice on Monday. Officer on Special Duty to Vice President Hamid Ansari and RSTV CEO Gurdeep Sappal are among them.

Sappal is the first ever non-bureaucrat CEO of government-run TV. He has worked for two years as Associate Producer at TVI of Business India Ltd. Besides, he was Assistant Private Secretary to a minister during 2004 and 2007.

According to RTI information, job of RSTV CEO was never advertised. Unlike LSTV CEO, whose job was prominently advertised, Sappal was handpicked for the job without any competition.

Additional perks that came with the job are top class house in posh Bapa Nagar and a life and distinguished pass for Parliament's Central Hall on 'out of turn' basis.

Sappal makes Rs1.75 lakh per month, more than the LSTV head's Rs1.5 lakh. The salary is also much above the scale of a joint secretary, Sappal's official rank.