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Tag: PSU

  • BSNL violating TRAI’s IUC norms, complains COAI

    BSNL violating TRAI’s IUC norms, complains COAI

    NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI) has approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India against the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd’s (BSNL) new limited fixed mobile telephony app-based calling service that virtually turns mobiles into a cordless phone.

    The new service works in sync with landlines to make and receive calls within home premises.

    Claiming it was like the “in-principle same version of their fixed mobile telephony (FMT) services” launched last year and subsequently withdrawn, COAI members want TRAI to direct BSNL to withdraw the new service. BSNL has so far marketed its service as “distinct”.

    Interestingly, Reliance Jio has not joined in as it claims to have divergent views.

    While launching the new service in mid-January, BSNL had stated that the latest limited Fixed Mobile Telephony (FMT) service is “different” from the contentious Fixed Mobile Telephony service it had announced last year. The PSU was subsequently forced to put on hold the service following opposition from cellular operators.

    The operators say the new service is disguised as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) service and violation of numbering plan and breach of licence conditions.

    In its letter to TRAI, COAI has also alleged that BSNL’s service represents evasion and bypass of Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) in the form of termination charges. “We understand that the new service will use fixed line Caller Line Identification for making calls from mobiles and currently no termination charges are applicable for calls to and from fixed line in terms of TRAI’s prevailing IUC regulation,” COAI said.

    If the service is allowed, other operators with landline number series may also start using the methodology for saving on IUC leading to major revenue implications, COAI has argued.

    “In light of the serious concerns … we request your kind intervention in issuing an immediate direction to BSNL for withdrawing this app-based calling service,” COAI has said.

    While putting its service on hold, BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava had said the earlier service allowed customers on roaming in India and overseas to connect their landlines through mobile and make calls through them, but the new service is restricted within the home premises.

    “Landline subscribers find it inconvenient to fetch the contact details from mobiles and then dial the number on fixed line … This service will turn mobile handset into a cordless device within the home premises, which means that customers can still avail the attractive landline tariffs of BSNL,” Shrivastava had said.

    Also Read:

    BSNL launches FMT & Ditto TV; 4G planned this year

    Fazed by expensive 4G spectrum, BSNL gifting Kerala 1k hotspots

  • BSNL violating TRAI’s IUC norms, complains COAI

    BSNL violating TRAI’s IUC norms, complains COAI

    NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI) has approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India against the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd’s (BSNL) new limited fixed mobile telephony app-based calling service that virtually turns mobiles into a cordless phone.

    The new service works in sync with landlines to make and receive calls within home premises.

    Claiming it was like the “in-principle same version of their fixed mobile telephony (FMT) services” launched last year and subsequently withdrawn, COAI members want TRAI to direct BSNL to withdraw the new service. BSNL has so far marketed its service as “distinct”.

    Interestingly, Reliance Jio has not joined in as it claims to have divergent views.

    While launching the new service in mid-January, BSNL had stated that the latest limited Fixed Mobile Telephony (FMT) service is “different” from the contentious Fixed Mobile Telephony service it had announced last year. The PSU was subsequently forced to put on hold the service following opposition from cellular operators.

    The operators say the new service is disguised as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) service and violation of numbering plan and breach of licence conditions.

    In its letter to TRAI, COAI has also alleged that BSNL’s service represents evasion and bypass of Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) in the form of termination charges. “We understand that the new service will use fixed line Caller Line Identification for making calls from mobiles and currently no termination charges are applicable for calls to and from fixed line in terms of TRAI’s prevailing IUC regulation,” COAI said.

    If the service is allowed, other operators with landline number series may also start using the methodology for saving on IUC leading to major revenue implications, COAI has argued.

    “In light of the serious concerns … we request your kind intervention in issuing an immediate direction to BSNL for withdrawing this app-based calling service,” COAI has said.

    While putting its service on hold, BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava had said the earlier service allowed customers on roaming in India and overseas to connect their landlines through mobile and make calls through them, but the new service is restricted within the home premises.

    “Landline subscribers find it inconvenient to fetch the contact details from mobiles and then dial the number on fixed line … This service will turn mobile handset into a cordless device within the home premises, which means that customers can still avail the attractive landline tariffs of BSNL,” Shrivastava had said.

    Also Read:

    BSNL launches FMT & Ditto TV; 4G planned this year

    Fazed by expensive 4G spectrum, BSNL gifting Kerala 1k hotspots

  • DD e-auction process to start anew; permits film prod houses participation

    DD e-auction process to start anew; permits film prod houses participation

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan, which had put the initiative of the e-auction of its slots under suspension on the basis of queries and proposals, has now decided to allow renowned film production houses also to enter the fray. In a major decision to start the entire e-auction process de novo, Prasar Bharati has decided to roll out the process from 1 November instead of 1 October.

    The Prasar Bharati Board, which considered the various responses and queries to the earlier announcement on Doordarshan’s website in mid-May this year, decided that the condition of applicants having at least 300 hours of TV productions may be reduced to 200 hours.

    A senior Prasar Bharati official told indiantelevision.com that the earlier condition that only those who had experience in television production was being done away with and major film production houses will also be allowed to bid to take part in the auction of the prime time slots. The official said details were being finalized and would be announced shortly.

    Earlier, it had been announced to invite eligible producers to create and market fresh content on the channel for a fixed tenure extending up to three years.

    Encouraged by its success in e-auction slots in FM Radio Phase III, Prasar Bharati shortlisted some slots in DD prime time that will be put up for e-auction to attract high quality content on its national and regional channels.

    DD sources said the policy encourages private entrepreneurs to produce cutting edge general entertainment programming with a commitment for providing wholesome family enjoyment.

    The technical and financial criteria for the new policy will be notified separately. The sale of slots to be auctioned will be through e-auction mode

    The roll out of the Slot Sale Policy will commence with DD’s flagship channel ‘DD National’ on its prime time slots will then be progressively extended to other slots and channels.

    The base price for DD National Prime Time is being kjept reasonable keeping in view the content environment and market economics to attract bidders. In the draft notification for Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National (to be separately notified), the Minimum Floor Price for DD National Prime Time is proposed to be Rs Two lakh for each 30 minute time slot between 7-11 PM (excluding feature film slots).

    The slot price increase is to be based on half yearly reviews through a transparent mechanism linked to the ratings achieved in the slot.

    The slots available for bidding would be for a sequence of slots for daily strips on weekdays/weekends.

    The aim is to follow a transparent bidding process so that opportunities are made available to all.

    Give more Free Commercial Time (FCT) to the Bidder or slot holder. For Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National, the Free Commercial Time (FCT) will be enhanced from the existing 2.5 minutes to 4.0 minutes for every 30 minute slot.

    This will ensure that there is no competition between DD and the Bidder/slot holder in vying for the same clients and advertisements. Successful bidders would be free to procure advertisements from all clients within their entitlement of FCT with the exception of Government and PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) clients.

    Bids may be invited for any/various combinations of/all slots as detailed below:

    i) For a single standalone slot
    ii) For longer time durations comprising of more than one slot for catering to the needs of telecasting special events, feature films etc.
    iii) For a single slot on weekly basis
    iv) For a sequence of slots in the same time band running over certain number of days in a week (e.g. Monday-Thursday; Monday-Friday; Saturday-Sunday, etc.)

    The decision regarding inviting bids in respect of slots will be at the sole discretion of Doordarshan after taking into account its programme requirements for any channel or time band.

    The website www.ddindia.gov.in gives detailed information for applicants.

    Earlier, Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Jawhar Sircar told www.indiantelevision.com that this would bring about greater transparency and also put the onus on the successful bidder to ensure good content.

    Sircar in an exclusive interview had said that the e-auction would be completely transparent, stressing that the “cost of transparency is very heavy.”

    When his attention was drawn to the earlier system where renowned filmmakers were attracted by Doordarshan to make serials, he said that kind of system had led to monopolization.

    He admitted that he had initially faced internal resistance to his plan for e-auction of prime time slots.

    (DD has already announced that this is being done an experimental basis and may be extended to its other channels if the scheme is accepted.)

    He had said he was confident that audience loyalty, sentiment, and reach of Doordarshan would help to make the scheme a success.

  • DD e-auction process to start anew; permits film prod houses participation

    DD e-auction process to start anew; permits film prod houses participation

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan, which had put the initiative of the e-auction of its slots under suspension on the basis of queries and proposals, has now decided to allow renowned film production houses also to enter the fray. In a major decision to start the entire e-auction process de novo, Prasar Bharati has decided to roll out the process from 1 November instead of 1 October.

    The Prasar Bharati Board, which considered the various responses and queries to the earlier announcement on Doordarshan’s website in mid-May this year, decided that the condition of applicants having at least 300 hours of TV productions may be reduced to 200 hours.

    A senior Prasar Bharati official told indiantelevision.com that the earlier condition that only those who had experience in television production was being done away with and major film production houses will also be allowed to bid to take part in the auction of the prime time slots. The official said details were being finalized and would be announced shortly.

    Earlier, it had been announced to invite eligible producers to create and market fresh content on the channel for a fixed tenure extending up to three years.

    Encouraged by its success in e-auction slots in FM Radio Phase III, Prasar Bharati shortlisted some slots in DD prime time that will be put up for e-auction to attract high quality content on its national and regional channels.

    DD sources said the policy encourages private entrepreneurs to produce cutting edge general entertainment programming with a commitment for providing wholesome family enjoyment.

    The technical and financial criteria for the new policy will be notified separately. The sale of slots to be auctioned will be through e-auction mode

    The roll out of the Slot Sale Policy will commence with DD’s flagship channel ‘DD National’ on its prime time slots will then be progressively extended to other slots and channels.

    The base price for DD National Prime Time is being kjept reasonable keeping in view the content environment and market economics to attract bidders. In the draft notification for Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National (to be separately notified), the Minimum Floor Price for DD National Prime Time is proposed to be Rs Two lakh for each 30 minute time slot between 7-11 PM (excluding feature film slots).

    The slot price increase is to be based on half yearly reviews through a transparent mechanism linked to the ratings achieved in the slot.

    The slots available for bidding would be for a sequence of slots for daily strips on weekdays/weekends.

    The aim is to follow a transparent bidding process so that opportunities are made available to all.

    Give more Free Commercial Time (FCT) to the Bidder or slot holder. For Sale of Slots on Prime Time of DD National, the Free Commercial Time (FCT) will be enhanced from the existing 2.5 minutes to 4.0 minutes for every 30 minute slot.

    This will ensure that there is no competition between DD and the Bidder/slot holder in vying for the same clients and advertisements. Successful bidders would be free to procure advertisements from all clients within their entitlement of FCT with the exception of Government and PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) clients.

    Bids may be invited for any/various combinations of/all slots as detailed below:

    i) For a single standalone slot
    ii) For longer time durations comprising of more than one slot for catering to the needs of telecasting special events, feature films etc.
    iii) For a single slot on weekly basis
    iv) For a sequence of slots in the same time band running over certain number of days in a week (e.g. Monday-Thursday; Monday-Friday; Saturday-Sunday, etc.)

    The decision regarding inviting bids in respect of slots will be at the sole discretion of Doordarshan after taking into account its programme requirements for any channel or time band.

    The website www.ddindia.gov.in gives detailed information for applicants.

    Earlier, Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Jawhar Sircar told www.indiantelevision.com that this would bring about greater transparency and also put the onus on the successful bidder to ensure good content.

    Sircar in an exclusive interview had said that the e-auction would be completely transparent, stressing that the “cost of transparency is very heavy.”

    When his attention was drawn to the earlier system where renowned filmmakers were attracted by Doordarshan to make serials, he said that kind of system had led to monopolization.

    He admitted that he had initially faced internal resistance to his plan for e-auction of prime time slots.

    (DD has already announced that this is being done an experimental basis and may be extended to its other channels if the scheme is accepted.)

    He had said he was confident that audience loyalty, sentiment, and reach of Doordarshan would help to make the scheme a success.

  • Information and cyber insecurity is second most risk factor in Indian industries: FICCI

    Information and cyber insecurity is second most risk factor in Indian industries: FICCI

    NEW DELHI: ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’ has been ranked as the second biggest threat to businesses in India, for two consecutive years.

    The high rating points to the fact that it is a persistent risk for both private and government sectors in a high-technology driven global economy, where a growing trend is the rise in cyber-aided hacking. Information insecurity along with infringement of intellectual property and corporate fraud remain some of the crucial concerns in business strategy, across sectors and geographies.

    A study of FICCI shows that information and cyber insecurity stands at 9.71 per cent out of an overall rating of 15 per cent, only next to strikes and labour unrest.

    Interestingly, strikes and closures, crime, and workplace violence and sexual harassment are the top three threats in the media and entertainment sector.

    The India Risk Survey 2016 shows that information and cyber insecurity is the third most risk factor in south India, while Intellectual Property Theft is the second largest risk factor in east India.

    But among sixteen sectors surveyed, it is the top most risk factor in government and public service undertakings, financial service, IT/ITES (where intellectual property theft is the second biggest risk factor), and telecom, and the second most risk factor in education.

    The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded a total of 7,201 cases under the IT Act in 2014, showing a 65 per cent rise from 2013. Symantec estimated one million web attacks every day in 2015. A SophosLabs research ranked India at No. 5 among the countries with the highest percentage of endpoints exposed to a malware attack. The spear-phishing campaigns targeting employees has increased by 55 per cent in 2015.

    ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’ is a persistent business risk in a high-technology driven globalised economy. Indian companies are increasingly being targeted, which is reflected in the high-risk rating given by the Government & PSU and Telecom sectors to risk of ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’. With increase in the number of people.accessing the internet through any mode, computers or hand-held devices, and the growth of revolutionary financial transaction platforms for online shopping and payments, this risk is definitely going to increase further.

    Government data sourced from the NCRB shows a total of 7,201 cases were registered in 2014 under the IT Act,16 which registered a 65.3 per cent rise in cyberrelated cases as compared to 2013. Greed or financial gain accounted for the maximum 18 per cent of the cyber-crime cases. In real terms, it stood at 1,736 out of 9,622 cases.

  • Information and cyber insecurity is second most risk factor in Indian industries: FICCI

    Information and cyber insecurity is second most risk factor in Indian industries: FICCI

    NEW DELHI: ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’ has been ranked as the second biggest threat to businesses in India, for two consecutive years.

    The high rating points to the fact that it is a persistent risk for both private and government sectors in a high-technology driven global economy, where a growing trend is the rise in cyber-aided hacking. Information insecurity along with infringement of intellectual property and corporate fraud remain some of the crucial concerns in business strategy, across sectors and geographies.

    A study of FICCI shows that information and cyber insecurity stands at 9.71 per cent out of an overall rating of 15 per cent, only next to strikes and labour unrest.

    Interestingly, strikes and closures, crime, and workplace violence and sexual harassment are the top three threats in the media and entertainment sector.

    The India Risk Survey 2016 shows that information and cyber insecurity is the third most risk factor in south India, while Intellectual Property Theft is the second largest risk factor in east India.

    But among sixteen sectors surveyed, it is the top most risk factor in government and public service undertakings, financial service, IT/ITES (where intellectual property theft is the second biggest risk factor), and telecom, and the second most risk factor in education.

    The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded a total of 7,201 cases under the IT Act in 2014, showing a 65 per cent rise from 2013. Symantec estimated one million web attacks every day in 2015. A SophosLabs research ranked India at No. 5 among the countries with the highest percentage of endpoints exposed to a malware attack. The spear-phishing campaigns targeting employees has increased by 55 per cent in 2015.

    ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’ is a persistent business risk in a high-technology driven globalised economy. Indian companies are increasingly being targeted, which is reflected in the high-risk rating given by the Government & PSU and Telecom sectors to risk of ‘Information & Cyber Insecurity’. With increase in the number of people.accessing the internet through any mode, computers or hand-held devices, and the growth of revolutionary financial transaction platforms for online shopping and payments, this risk is definitely going to increase further.

    Government data sourced from the NCRB shows a total of 7,201 cases were registered in 2014 under the IT Act,16 which registered a 65.3 per cent rise in cyberrelated cases as compared to 2013. Greed or financial gain accounted for the maximum 18 per cent of the cyber-crime cases. In real terms, it stood at 1,736 out of 9,622 cases.

  • DDB Mudra’s campaign for UBI lets the common man dream

    DDB Mudra’s campaign for UBI lets the common man dream

    MUMBAI: With exciting offers, flexible interest rates and additional returns in form of freebies or points, the private banks are giving public sector banks (PSU) banks in the country a run for their money. But Union Bank of India (UBI) has launched a new campaign to let everyone know that Union Bank of India’s products and services are not only at par with private banks but also surpasses them in many ways.

    The campaign conceptualised by DDB Mudra borrows stories from real life. Stories about a common man’s aspirations, dreams and the hurdles faced in order to achieve them as the bank’s baseline is “your dreams are not yours alone”.

    In its last campaign, the bank brought on board the most dependable partners of renowned celebrities to bring alive the brand promise – Ajit Tendulkar, Aruna Anand, etc. Keeping with the tradition, this time it features actor Pankaj Kapoor.

    DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral said, “Union Bank of India always puts people first. It is this thinking that gave birth to the now famous platform of ‘Your dreams are not yours alone’. DDB Mudra Group has already created two very successful brand campaigns on this platform and in this third installment, the line gets a product spin. In keeping with their vision, Union Bank has come out with many innovative offerings that put the consumer at the forefront, with technology becoming an enabler making life more convenient and relationships richer. We decided that the best way to communicate this was through simple human stories that could be happening everyday in any Indian household. All seen through the eyes of the same family. The biggest triumph of this campaign is the very real tonality and its perfect casting with Pankaj Kapoor lighting up the screen as the head of this ordinary Indian family. We are very excited with this latest campaign for Union Bank of India and I’m sure people will love these films as much as we do. Like our earlier campaigns for this brand, this too is less advertising more life.”

    The five-film campaign (out of which three will be out in January 2014), revolves around five members of a family, their dreams and the role played by UBI to turn them into reality.

    The agency’s group creative directors Aman Mannan and Ashish Phatak said, “The simple observation in life that kick-started the entire process was to acknowledge, that unlike west, our dreams do not feed on individual aspirations but collective energy of every family member. For example, to have your own home is a dream not owned by an individual but an entire family. The entire campaign is based on this simple understanding. We wanted people to believe that Union Bank of India is part of their everyday life. And hence, all the five stories revolve around ‘shared Indian dreams’ and the role played by Union Bank’s products and services to make them come true.”

  • PSU brands pave way for private brands

    PSU brands pave way for private brands

    MUMBAI: It was almost 25 years back when all of us were familiar with HMT watches. They really ruled the market and even I remember in their slogan they called them as Time Keeper To The Nation.  And their advertising message said if you have the inclination we have the time.  And when they launched the quartz brand they said if we you have the inclination we have the exact time. Here they were emphasising the exactness to the correct time a quartz watch is supposed to deliver.

    But in 1987 when the Tatas came to the market with Titan they came with lot of planning and a well thought out strategy to rewrite the watch industry which they ultimately did so. And within a matter of few years they dislodged HMT and just surged ahead by bringing in variety and innovation in all their marketing efforts. Be it distribution or product innovation they did it differently to only be the undisputed king in the watch business. From a watch brand they have moved into to a whole range of brand extensions and the latest being the launch of perfumes.

    By the time we entered the 90s with liberal policies we saw several categories where private brands entered and started giving a tough time to the PSU brands. Let me recollect a few categories where private brands have made deep inroads.

    Lubricants: This category was primarily dominated by the PSU brands due to their strong hold on distribution. As no private brands were allowed to sell their products through petrol stations. But that did not stop the private sector to push their products. Castrol was the first to aggressively market their product. Their strong communication strategy helped them gain good visibility to get into the consideration set. They used the bazaar trade for distributing their products and also cleverly opened outlets opposite petrol pumps to make easy availability of the product which gave the car owners one more choice apart from what the fuel station was stocking. They constantly kept innovating and improving their product offerings through strong R&D and became partners to many OEM automobile manufacturers. Today the private sector put together holds close to 40 per cent market share. We have several brands like Gulf, Elf and Tide water that also had their share in this market.

    Insurance:  Life insurance was synonymous with LIC. In fact the lingo that was used is LIC kar leya… Also since this PSU brand had backing from the government, the credibility scores were very high which helped them to gain loyalty  as against the private brand. But today desk research say’s that LIC has only 50 per cent share and the combined private insurance brands control the balance 50 per cent. There are at least 10 brands which are fighting to get their pie in this highly competitive market which has lot of government norms that one has to adhere to. Most of these private brands have pumped in huge marketing spends to create awareness but besides that they also bought in the use of the online tool for people to buy polices, which is still lagging behind with the PSU brands. With the rapid penetration of internet and a younger population that will rule the Indian market these private sectors will have an upper hand to woo this new generation?

    Airlines: The Indian skies were ruled by the Indian Airlines (Now Air-India). But over a period of time starting in the 90s we saw the downfall of the Indian Airlines as private operators flew in. There was a huge shift towards private airlines and the result being that Air-India only has 20 per cent market share according to published reports. In the airlines business service matters a lot and that’s where Air- India dipped very low to surrender their market; besides the constant staff and pilot issues have also eroded their equity over a period of time. And the continuous newness in the service and the competitive pricing by the private operators never allowed Air-India to regain their glory which they sat on for many years.

    Telecom: BSNL and MTNL were the household names in the wired connection when it came to telephone. One had to wait for a long period of time to get a permanent connection. At one point of time having a telephone was a luxury but since the 90s with the advent of mobile connections it very soon became a necessity. While both the PSU brands are also present in the mobile space but I am unaware of their exact market share. Nearly 85 per cent market share is held by the private brands. Here again technology and aggressive marketing helped these private sector brands to hold the market with lot of ease as there is no fight or competition from the PSU brands.

    While red- tapism and vested political interest has been by and large the deterrent for PSU brands to grow. We must also keep in mind that the mindset of Indian consumers have shifted and changed in the last few years. The new breed of Indian customers seeks value in whatever they buy and hence it is important for both the PSU brands and private brands to get their value proposition right. With internet within reach, the narrowing of buying decisions have become easier as with price comparison more product information is being provided by many aggregators. Unless there is huge overhauling done by PSU the story will not change and private brands will just keep on cashing them.

    By Ganapathy Viswanathan, an independent communication consultant, in communication, branding and public relations.

  • Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    Canon India to expand Office Imaging Solutions

    BENGALURU: Canon India Office Imaging Solutions division (OIS) announced plans for deeper penetration in C, D and E towns and expansion of service location from 546 to 700+ locations currently to support developments in smaller cities.

     

    The division is aggressively tapping the SME market specially the manufacturing units in C, D and E class where the print volume is around one-two lakh a month. Canon is working with its channel partners in these cities who will be focusing on SMEs and PSU segments. Canon plans to enable the SME community by introducing cost effective workflow solutions and Managed Document Services offering.

     

    With this SMEs will get access to enterprise class technology which will help them streamline their printing infrastructure, save cost and be eco-friendly. The division is also targeting cities like Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Cochin, Patna and Bhubaneswar. The division is targeting revenues of Rs 25 crore from its Managed Document Services during the next fiscal.

     

    Canon’s OIS division uses select print publications that make their way to a CIO’s table and online digital for focused mass media communications. To that extent, it spends around Rs 1 to 2 crore per quarter revealed a company source. Dentsu and Percept manage creative and media buying duties for Canon India.

  • Mission TARA: Mamata Banerjee assures Rs 50 lakh

    Mission TARA: Mamata Banerjee assures Rs 50 lakh

    After witnessing hard times for quite some time, TARA (Television Aimed at Regional Audiences) can now breathe a sigh of relief.

     

    And guess who has come to its rescue? It’s none other than our every own didi. Yes, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has taken a resolution to revive TARA Newz and Muzik, the only two surviving channels of the redundant Saradha Group’s media business, that were shut down after the expose of the chit fund fraud.

     

    Under the rescue mission, the first proposition which was floored was to take over the channels; then came the proposal of payment of Rs 16,000 to each and every employee in the form of ex-gratia and now finally, there is an assurance of monthly commercial of around Rs 50 lakh.

     

    “Mamata Banerjee has asked the state finance minister Amit Mitra to propose ways to revive the channels. And after various brainstorming sessions, it was decided that the state’s public sector units (PSUs) like West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Limited, West Bengal Financial Corporation among other state government undertakings will give monthly commercials worth  Rs 50 lakh so that TARA as a brand can stay alive,” says a highly confidential government source.

     

    He adds, “West Bengal Financial Corporation may release a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh to two lakh for the month of September. The channel must have got the amount by now.”

     

    After the Saradha Groups’ chit fund went bust, the employees of Broadcast Worldwide which runs Tara Newz and Tara Muzik formed an association called Tara TV Employees Welfare Association in April this year with an aim to keep the channels on the air on their own. Nag was made the secretary of the association, and was entrusted with the responsibility of running the two channels by the Calcutta High Court.

     

    When Tara Newz chief reporter Dipankar Nag was contacted to confirm the same, he denied any news of receiving any commercial order. However, he was quick to add, “We have 100 per cent faith in the CM and she will do something, so that the first 24×7 Bengali news channel can exist.”

     

    The senior general manager-administration and finance and the president of the employees’ association Indrajit Roy informs that the state government has given an ex-gratia payment of Rs16, 000 each to the 168 employees of the two channels till August 2013. However, about the assurance of advertisement, he like Nag informed that they have not received any such commitment through email or in writing. “Although, we have met Amit Mitra and other state officials and discussed on the commercial, no formal receipt about the release order has been received.”

     

    If one remembers, the initial plan of the CM was to take over the TV channels which reaches out to Bengali-speaking people across the world and is owned by the Saradha group which did not materalise because as per the present laws it is illegal for a government entity to own or run a television channel, informs the media expert.

     

    He recounts, “Ms Banerjee had decided to run the channels following an appeal by 168 employees of the two channels who were without a job as the channels had shut shop after the Saradha meltdown.”

     

    Hence, this does make one wonder if the CM has more than a general interest in saving the two channels?