The Prime Minister’s Office has referred objections to a proposed schedule of three Tamil films a day on the state-owned Vasantham TV to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education for action.
The referral follows an email sent to the Prime Minister on 15 September 2026 by M. Navarathnam, President of the Tamil Artistes Association, Newswire reported.
What the PMO said
In its communication, the PMO said the request raised concerns about the proposed broadcast schedule’s potential impact on educational and socially responsible television programming, particularly content suitable for children and youth.
It asked the Ministry Secretary to act under existing rules and regulations, to notify the complainant of the decision without delay, and to issue an interim response if a final decision takes longer than one month.
A second objection to the President
Separately, Tamil Progressive Alliance leader Mano Ganesan MP wrote to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake raising his own concerns about the three-films-a-day format.
His letter raised four issues: Vasantham TV’s public-service mandate; its educational and cultural programming; the promotion of local productions; and the treatment of the Tamil-language broadcasting service generally.
Ganesan urged the President to review the decision and to ensure the channel keeps a balanced lineup of educational, cultural, locally produced and public-interest content alongside general entertainment.
Unresolved
The report does not say who proposed the schedule, whether it has been approved, or when it would take effect. Vasantham is the Tamil-language channel of the state broadcaster, and neither the channel nor the ministry has responded publicly.
No other newsroom had filed on the complaint at the time of writing, and the account rests on the correspondence Newswire describes.
