PTV is our national institution which is backed by public funds. Every year more than six billion rupees collected from PTV license fee are allocated to PTV but still it lags far behind in the current competitive world.
Despite huge resources, buildings, an army of producers PTV is struggling with financial crisis. Despite injecting billions every year, it is running in a loss of 60 million rupees each year.
Recently MD of PTV appeared before standing committe of senate where he explained the sorry plight of this national institution.
As per Muhammad Maalik who is the Managing Director of PTV, out of the six billion (recieved as TV license fee) 5.25 billions are spent on wages and 40 million are consumed by medical bills. To overcome the deficit PTV is now taking a loan of two billion rupees from commercial banks, while many of its buildings are already mortgaged
PTV has more than six thousand employees. As per Muhammad Maalik, he wants to fire 4990 employees out of these 6000 provided he has the authority to execute the plan. Many of PTV officials are incompetent and cannot check their emails and the national television is running solely by the backing of ALLAH. One centre of PTV has seventy producers whereas it only airs daily programs of two hours. Recently PTV has sacked nearly 80 employees with fake degrees.
The militant organization of Taliban is also causing damages to PTV’s installations in the region of FATA thus resulting in recurring expenses in that region.
Here is the reference excerpt from Urdu Daily Jang
This is the one side of the story, on the other side are the employees of PTV who have their own reasons. As per PTV Employees Union, the cause of PTV’s Financial crisis is the high salaries of Managing Director and other high officials. The monthly salary of PTV’s managing director is 3 million (30 laakh) rupees. The MD has hired incompetent producers either on some reference or his own friends. PTV Karachi center has about thirty five producers, who are paid in laaakhs, only for producing commercials for few minutes. on MD’s order PTV is also paying massively to few lawyers regarding the cases against PTV in courts. The employees have announced a series of protests against the Managing Director.
Reference news from Urdu Daily Naibaat
Rashid Nazir Ali