PTV earned Rs 1,757.871 million as license fee, National Assembly told

The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has earned Rs 2892.786 million and 1757.871 million as TV license fee during 2007-2008 and till January 2008-2009, respectively. In a written reply to a question of MNA Riaz Fatiana.
During Question Hour, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said that PTV paid Rs 584.888 million as service fee during 2007-08 and Rs 362.163 zmillion up to January this year. Responding to a question of Shamshad Sattar Bachani MNA the minister said that during the last two years, PTV installed six boosters in Qilla Saifullah, Umarkot, Batagram, Timergrag (Lower Dir), Laram Top (Upper Dir) and Dassu.
He said that the Press Information Department has not written off Rs 136.69 million dues outstanding against certian advertising agencies. The fact of the matter is that the said amount has been claimed by the advertising agencies for publication of government advertisements. The appointed advertising agencies get the names of newspapers which are on the media list, approved from the PID on behalf of their client organisations and thereafter submit the advertisement bills.
He said that PID verifies the advertisement bills for arranging payments to the concerned advertising agencies for onward transmission to newspapers and also facilitates the prompt payment of advertisement dues.
Responding to a supplementary question from MNAs Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Azeem Daultana said that PID regularly pays to the advertising agencies. Information Ministry gives advertisements to various advertising agencies on behalf of ministries and they have to pay to the Information Ministry for payment of dues to various advertising agencies.
He said that his ministry was not responsible for delay in payment of dues as the concerned ministries and departments sometime fail to release the required amount to PID, which results in delay in payment to the agencies concerned. Azeem Daultana added presently PTV was installing 40 boosters to further increase PTV's outreach which at present is 87 per cent. He said that PTV has purchased over dozen new DSNGs for live coverage of events.