Prasar Bharati gets request for DVDs of Manmohan Singh's speeches as PM

NEW DELHI: Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati has received a request from the office of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking DVDs of speeches delivered by him during his stints as Prime Minister.

Sources said that the matter came up in one of the meetings of Prasar Bharati board in February this year. The board was of the view that since the request pertained to a former Prime Minister, and for non-commercial purposes, the recordings could be provided free of cost.

"While Prasar Bharati has been trying to monetise some part of its archives, it is felt that speeches of leaders are of national importance and should be disseminated among the public. Consequently, the Board felt that the request of the former Prime Minister should be accepted," a senior official said.

It is learned that a lot of content related to Singh's speeches, made in his tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, has been provided by Doordarshan.

The former Prime Minister is reportedly keen on building an archive of work done while in office not only for record but also because there are many scholars interested in accessing information related to his tenure.