NEW DELHI: Seven posts in six media units of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will be headed by officials of the rank of principal director general, though only one will be in the higher grade and the others will be in the selection grade.
Although it has still not made any official announcement about changes made in the top posts of some its media units including the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Ministry has now placed on its website a copy of the Indian Information Service (Group A) amendment rules 2014 as notified in the official gazette late last month.
According to the amendments, one post in each of the six media units - news services division of All India Radio (AIR), director general of Doordarshan, the Registrar of Newspapers in India, the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, Directorate of Field Publicity, and two posts in the Press Information Bureau (PIB) will be held by principal director generals.
The designation of the incumbent holding the higher grade will be principal director general and it will remain unchanged irrespective of the media unit, except in the Registrar of Newspapers of India where the post will be designated as press registrar.
The insertion of the amended rules comes within two days of the announcement of Neelam Kapur, who had been holding the post of principal director general of media and communication of the PIB, being shifted to the directorate of field publicity and being replaced by Frank Noronha who had been posted in DFP. In another significant change, Archana Dutta who is director general of news in AIR was given additional charge of DD News, whose head SM Khan was placed on compulsory wait.
The amendment also detailed the necessary changes that were being made in the rules of 2013.
Highly placed sources had told indiantelevision.com that while Kapur has not been demoted as she retains her position as principal DG which is of secretary level; the DFP is seen as an office lower in stature to that of PIB, as the head of that office serves as the official spokesperson of the government.
