Rajya Sabha TV CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal has resigned and Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been given the additional charge of the post.
“Consequent upon acceptance of resignation of Gurdeep Singh Sappal, CEO, RS TV, with effect from August 12, 2017, he is directed to hand over the charge of CEO, RS TV to Shashi Shekhar Vempati, CEO, Prasar Bharati,” an order of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said. Sappal in a Facebook post said, “Today, as I stand relieved from the posts of CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Rajya Sabha Television, I thank Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, for accepting my request of relieving me from the responsibility.”
Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash tweeted, “Change is in the air in Rajya Sabha TV. Very best to @shashidigital in added responsibility!” In 2008, Rajya Sabha decided to start its own 24x7 TV channel and three years later, the decision was taken to hand over the reins of the proposed channel to Sappal, who was appointed as its CEO. The limited broadcast of the channel was started in August 2011 and it became a 24x7 channel on January 26, 2012.