WHY launch Rajya Sabha TV when Lok Sabha TV is already functioning? This question is being raised in Parliament as well as in drawing rooms. And most members of the Upper House feel exactly the way most citizens do. Initially, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat wrote to its Lok Sabha counterpart, suggesting that both Houses join hands and create a joint identity to disseminate information about themselves. The suggestion was made a year ago. Had common sense prevailed, the country’s exchequer would have been saved a few crore rupees. But the file never saw the light of day, irrespective of several reminders. After waiting in vain, the Rajya Sabha decided to launch its own TV channel. Insiders say that the Lok Sabha Secretariat officials fear losing their authority. Currently, financial sanction is done by the Lok Sabha’s top officials. But who takes the decisions in the Lok Sabha Secretariat—an official, the Speaker or a Parliamentary Committee? Something is rotten in the state of Denmark....http://www.gfilesindia.com/
