DGDD justifies outsourcing of the coverage of Commonwealth Games

Justifying the decision of Prasar Bharati to outsource coverage of upcoming Commonwealth Games next year, Aruna Sharma, director general of Doordarshan on Wednesday said that the step has been taken to provide quality coverage of the mega sporting event.

"There is nothing wrong in outsourcing of the coverage as the decision has been taken to provide the quality production of international standard", Sharma, who was here to attend the 8th DD Annual Award ceremony here, told  reporters.

"Doordarshan has already adopted an advanced broadcasting technology and I am sure that coverage of the commonwealth games will be provided in best possible way to the sports lovers", she said adding that the coverage would be aired on high definition transmission facility.

Asked whether the protest of the DD employees against the outsourcing was "invalid", she refused to make any comment. Pointed out the poor coverage of Cricket matches, Sharma admitted that earlier there were some lapses, which were overcome in the ongoing India-New  Zealand series.

Meanwhile a member of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Information and Broadcasting Hanan Mollah had earlier termed the step of outsourcing taken by Prasar
Bharati as "against national interest" and has written to prime minister Manmohan Singh to seek his intervention.

Prasar Bharati has invited expression of interest (EOI) for coverage of the Commonwealth Games, the largest sporting event to be held in India in 2010.