British government's choice of Indian-origin Sameer Shah as the next chief of BBC

The British government has reportedly finalized the name of Indian-origin Sameer Shah for the new head of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The UK government has named veteran TV journalist Sameer Shah as its choice to replace Richard Sharp. Richard Sharp was removed from the post in April. Shah's appointment will be approved by the parliamentary committee. This decision of the government has come at a time when BBC is going through financial crisis. BBC has recently announced cuts to its "Newsnight" programme.

According to the information, 71-year-old Sameer Shah will be tasked with negotiating an increase in the license fee with the government, from where the BBC gets most of its funding.

UK media recently reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to halt a nine percent increase in the annual fee, which currently stands at £159 ($200) per family. Samir Shah has worked in television for over 40 years and has held many roles at the BBC, including Head of Current Affairs. He said in a statement that he was "delighted" to be named the government's preferred candidate.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the Government's preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC chief and he looks forward to joining the board once the formal process is complete”.