In the spirit of ease of doing business at India’s Prasar Bharati, for the first time a procurement policy has been etched out that was released by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra.

The pubcaster’s procurement policy is a directive to all procurement entities,, including All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD), to procure materials, services, and work of the specified quality at the most competitive prices in a fair, just, and transparent manner.

To accomplish this, Prasar Bharati was in need of a uniform and well-documented policy guideline and processes in place, ensuring that critical works are completed on time, in a well-coordinated manner, and with the fewest cost overruns possible, the pubcaster said in a statement released Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Chandra appreciated the efforts of Prasar Bharati in bringing out a comprehensive policy which will help the organization in “achieving many milestones timely”.

The guidelines have been segregated into major steps with modes of procurement clearly spelt out, which will impact on process standardization and reduction in timelines.

According to Prasar Bharati Member (Finance) & Member (Personnel) D.P.S. Negi, “The comprehensive policy will assist in expediting procurement processes, resulting in timely budget usage and fulfilling completion deadlines, particularly for infrastructure projects. The prescribed timeline for different stages of procurement activities would enhance the efficiency of (the) procurement system of the organization.”

Among other senior government officials who attended the event was MIB Additional Secretary Neerja Sekhar.