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Sheila's case on CAS incorrect, says Ministry

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 25. The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has refuted the charges levelled by the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, with regard to introduction of the Conditional Access System (CAS) technology and import of Set Top Boxes (STBs) for TV-watchers in South Delhi and termed them as unwarranted and not representing the factual position. It also termed as incorrect her charge that the Ministry was confused about its approach and had no plan of action for CAS.

In a statement here, the Ministry said that the technology for the manufacture of STBs does not exist in India and representatives of the Indian Electronic Industry had confirmed this on a number of occasions. The industry had stated that it would only manufacture these STBs if there were a guarantee of sufficient volumes, a situation that could come about if CAS was implemented in several cities. As for the import of STBs, these have been imported directly by different MSOs from reputed manufacturers. A team of highly qualified engineers from Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a public sector undertaking, was sent to Korea to inspect the manufacturing facilities and to report on quality control measures undertaken by the manufacturers.

It said the STBs imported were also subjected to random checking of their technical specifications by BECIL and it has been confirmed that these meet the norms of Bureau of Indian Standards specified for the STBs. The Delhi Chief Minister also had a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, during which it was emphasised that in the implementation of CAS, the State Government along with its machinery has to play an effective role.

Ms. Dikshit said if there were any specific complaints, the nodal officers appointed by the State Government would address them in cooperation with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry officers.

"The Ministry is fully aware of its responsibilities in the implementation of CAS and has in turn requested the State Governments concerned for their full cooperation."

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