India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has an army of  almost 300 consultants on its books, many earning five figure monthly salaries, local media reports.

The organisation which runs public tv channels as well as All India Radio has come under scrutiny as it faces a serious cash crunch.

The Hindustan Times says last year, the government agreed to write off US$2 billion (Rs. 1,300 crore) of Prasar Bharati’s approved debt.

Responding to a parliamentary question, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Manish Tewari admitted that more than 200 consultants have been taken on since 2010.

Among them are former I&B secretary Raghu Menon and retired IAS officer Ashok K Arora.

All India Radio also engaged 216 retirees on a contract basis since 2010, reports The Economic Times.