Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy Wednesday said he favoured reviving the licence fee regime for radios and television sets.

Alternatively, there should be a one-time tax to make Prasar Bharati, the autonomous official broadcasting corporation, financially viable, he said.

Reddy was speaking at the 14th national convention of the Association of Radio and Television Engineering Employees here.

"There is nothing wrong in people contributing to the expenses of the public broadcaster", he said.

In countries like the UK and Japan, such fees contribute to the expenses of the BBC and NHK television, Reddy added.

Doordarshan and All India Radio, the official TV and radio organisations respectively, were facing funds shortage of Rs.12 billion every year, he said.

Prasar Bharati will also continue to get government funding, he said.