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Employees of Akashvani and Doordarshan on Saturday said they have called off their proposed 72-hour strike that was to take place from December 13 to 15. According to sources, the National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees (NFADE) has agreed to defer its 72-hour boycott of duties, which was to be effective from December 13, 2010. The sources further revealed that the NFADE has in a letter addressed to A.K. Jain, Member (Finance) and to Shiva Kumar, Member (Personnel) in Prasar Bharti, mentioned that they are taking this step of deferment in the "light of the confidence-building measures undertaken and the mutual trust reposed in the negotiation process" by the three-member committee functioning under the directions of the Supreme Court of India. According to the sources, the NFADE also mentioned a letter received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in which the government has agreed to discuss a comprehensive amendment of the Prasar Bharti Act with representatives of the NFADE before finalising the agenda for the Group of Ministers (GoM) looking into the affairs of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Prasar Bharti. The NFADE had earlier gone on 48-hour strike last month not over work-related issues, but against Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli's alleged involvement in the Commonwealth Games broadcast mess. They have been demanding a repeal of the Prasar Bharti Act, and want both Akashvani and Doordarshan to be taken back into the government fold. NFADE chairman Anilkumar S had earlier said that the Prasar Bharti Act should be repealed, and instead financial restructuring and staff issues should be looked at in a comprehensive manner. The NFADE is backed by 21 organizations, including camerapersons, engineers and producers.

Doordarshan, AIR employees call off three-day strike