Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected a proposal by the Information Ministry to upgrade five sub-stations of Bangladesh Television into full transmission centres.
During a visit to the ministry yesterday, the prime minister also asked the information minister, high officials of the ministry and BTV to improve the standard of news and other programmes of the state-run broadcaster.
Hasina went to the Information Ministry as part of a plan to visit all the ministries and meet with ministers, secretaries and senior officials to accelerate the activities of her administration.
After yesterday’s meeting, several ministry officials told the Dhaka Tribune that the PMexpressed dissatisfaction with the quality of BTV programmes, which, she said, were not acceptable to all the public.
Hasina told the BTV officials to work on improving the standard of programmes and news to make them more people-oriented.
She also rejected a proposal for upgrading Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Rangpur sub-stations into full TV or transmission centres.
The PM, however, agreed to establish a central database centre for public information that people can access through text messages.
In the meantime, Hasina directed the BTV authorities not to entertain any requests for broadcasting low-quality programmes to ensure standards.
“Do not allow any request to broadcast any low-standard programme on the state-owned media. Ensure proper use of people’s money and stop misusing public funds,” she said.
Hasina also asked the authorities to take steps to popularize local movies and renovate cinema halls.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Secretary Mortuza Ahmed refused to say anything officially about the meeting.
The officials who attended the meeting said the ministry had presented several proposals, but the prime minister did not give her approval to most.
The proposals included elevating the Chittagong transmission centre toa fully fledged TV centre, establishing a film city at Kabirpur and a central film server at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, giving incentives for producing films and renovating cinema halls, setting up of a digital media exchange and media monitoring cell, and expansion of district information offices.
Earlier, Hasina visited the ministries of labour and employment, energy and power, water resources, science and technology, civil aviation, tourism and environment and forest.
She is also expected to visit the ministries of fisheries and livestock, health and family welfare as well as the banking and financial divisions of the finance ministry this week.