Prasar Bharati was established under an Act passed in 1990. When did it actually come into existence as a functioning body?

23 November 1997. Though the Prasar Bharati Act received assent in 1990, the corporation only came into existence on 23 November 1997. Read more: Polity0167 — Prasar Bharati: India's Public Broadcaster.

Which two broadcasters does Prasar Bharati oversee?

Akashvani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan. Prasar Bharati oversees Akashvani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan, India's public radio and television broadcasters. Read more: Polity0167 — Prasar Bharati: India's Public Broadcaster.

What is the approved outlay of the BIND Scheme, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2021?

₹2,539.61 crore. The BIND Scheme was approved in 2021 at ₹2,539.61 crore, to fund modernisation of Prasar Bharati's broadcasting infrastructure. Read more: Polity0167 — Prasar Bharati: India's Public Broadcaster.

By when has the BIND Scheme been extended, according to a written Lok Sabha reply of 5 August 2026?

31 March 2027. The BIND Scheme, originally running through 2025-26, has been extended to 31 March 2027. Read more: Polity0167 — Prasar Bharati: India's Public Broadcaster.

In the same August 2026 reply, how many editorial-autonomy grievances did the government report receiving from journalists, employees, or media bodies in the past year?

Zero. The government reported zero grievances about editorial autonomy or appointments from journalists, employees, or media bodies in the past year; 7 separate complaints came from job applicants. Read more: Polity0167 — Prasar Bharati: India's Public Broadcaster.

What is the correct description of Prasar Bharati?

India's autonomous public service broadcaster, operating Doordarshan and All India Radio. Prasar Bharati is the public service broadcaster, not a regulator. It runs Doordarshan and All India Radio as an autonomous statutory corporation. Tariffs are TRAI's remit, and news-content complaints run first through the broadcasters' own self-regulatory bodies. Read more: Polity0328 — Broadcast Regulation in India.

Prasar Bharati: India’s Public Broadcaster

Parliament passed the law creating India’s public broadcaster in 1990. It took seven more years before Prasar Bharati actually came into existence. This lesson explains the gap, the structure, and the BIND modernisation scheme.

Act 1990; assent 12 September.

Began 23 November 1997.

Runs Akashvani and Doordarshan.

BIND ₹2,539.61 crore, to 31 Mar 2027.

Statutory body: Created by a law of Parliament.

Akashvani: All India Radio.

DD Free Dish: Free DTH platform, no subscription.

BIND: Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development.

Contents

Chapter 1: A Law Seven Years Early
Chapter 2: What Prasar Bharati Is
Chapter 3: The BIND Scheme
Chapter 4: Exam Traps
Chapter 5: In the News, August 2026

1Chapter 1: A Law Seven Years Early

Must Know

Two dates, seven years apart

Date	Event
12 Sep 1990	The Prasar Bharati Act receives presidential assent.
23 Nov 1997	Prasar Bharati actually comes into existence, as a statutory autonomous body.
2021	The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approves the BIND Scheme, worth ₹2,539.61 crore.
5 Aug 2026	A written Lok Sabha reply confirms BIND’s extension.

Do not treat 1990 as the year Prasar Bharati started operating.
That was only when the Act received presidential assent.
The corporation itself began functioning in 1997.

Why the wait matters

The Act shows how slowly institutional autonomy can arrive.
Legal architecture often precedes real operational capacity, sometimes by years.
For Prasar Bharati, the wait was about giving broadcasting real independence from direct government control.
It was not meant to create just another government department.

Remember: Act 1990 ≠ broadcaster 1997.

True or False: Prasar Bharati began operating in 1990, when the Act was passed.

2Chapter 2: What Prasar Bharati Is

Must Know

A statutory autonomous body

Prasar Bharati is a statutory autonomous body under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990.
It oversees Akashvani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan, India’s public radio and television broadcasters.
A Prasar Bharati Board governs the corporation. It has a Chairman and a CEO (Executive Member).
It works under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Read more: Journalism in India.

Reach

Akashvani covers about 98% of India’s population and about 90% of its area.
DD Free Dish is Doordarshan’s free DTH platform.
It can be received anywhere in the country with no subscription charge.

True or False: Prasar Bharati oversees both Akashvani and Doordarshan.

3Chapter 3: The BIND Scheme

Good to Know

Money and time

The Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme.
It funds the modernisation of Prasar Bharati’s broadcasting infrastructure.
It was approved in 2021 at ₹2,539.61 crore, originally running through 2025-26.
It has since been extended to 31 March 2027.

What it pays for

BIND funds items like OB vans.
It also funds HD-ready digital upgrades for Doordarshan and All India Radio studios.

Editorial review

Editorial matters are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and senior editorial teams.
They work under Prasar Bharati’s own editorial policies and Programme Code.
Prasar Bharati also uses viewership data, audience feedback and social media analytics in its regular editorial review.

True or False: BIND was approved in 2021 and has been extended to 31 March 2027.

Think it through: Think it through: why a statutory body, not a department?

A department answers to a minister every day. A statutory body is set up by law, with its own Board. That gives it a legal basis for independence from direct government control.

4Chapter 4: Exam Traps

Exam Point of View

1990 is the Act, not the broadcaster

A question may ask when Prasar Bharati was established.
The Act is 1990.
The body itself began on 23 November 1997.

Zero editorial complaints, not zero complaints

The “zero grievances” figure covers editorial autonomy and appointments concerns specifically.
The same reply also lists 7 complaints, from job applicants over appointments.
That is a different category entirely.

True or False: The Lok Sabha reply reported zero complaints of any kind.

5Chapter 5: In the News, August 2026

Current Affairs

BIND’s extension confirmed

On 5 August 2026, a written Lok Sabha reply confirmed BIND’s extension to 31 March 2027, with its funding progress. (Source: DD India.)
The same reply reported zero grievances in the past year from journalists, employees or media bodies about editorial autonomy or appointments.
It did report 7 complaints, but from job applicants over appointments.
Read more: Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Journalist Welfare in India, Press Council of India and Press Trust of India.
Related initiatives: WAVES and Gems of India Challenge.

Quick Q&A

Act assent? 12 September 1990.
Body began? 23 November 1997.
BIND outlay? ₹2,539.61 crore.
BIND ends? 31 March 2027.
Akashvani population cover? About 98%.

Answered 0 of 4 checks.