There‘s been a lot of yo-yoeing on whether the Indian government would today consider modifying the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 to accomodate compulsory migration by cable TV operators towards conditional access systems (CAS).

The buzz this morning was that the much-talked-about cabinet meeting will be discussing matters of the nation rather than matters related to cable TV.

Said a Delhi-based cable TV source in a telecon: "The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) which meets every Tuesday was to decide on CAS today. But because the Union Cabinet is meeting on other issues, a decision on CAS will not be possible today. The CCEA next meets on Tuesday and that‘s when we can expect a decision. It‘s quite possible the amendments may be pushed to the next session of Parliament unless someone with guts pursues CAS."

Apparently, that somebody is information & broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj. According to sources, she has been insisting that the Union cabinet which is currently meeting should discuss the issue of CAS. "She has made CAS her personal agenda," says another ministry source. "That‘s why she wants the amendments recommended by Rakesh Mohan to his earlier report to be incorporated in the Cable TV Act at the earliest. She will not tolerate a postponement."

The government plans to introduce the amendments to the Act in this session of Parliament once the cabinet gives its stamp of approval. CAS is expected to ensure uniform pricing of cable TV subscriptions throughout the country, while allowing cable TV consumers to pay only for the channels they watch.

A lead time of around six months is likely to be given to cable TV service providers from the date of notification for the installation of the addressability system. The four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will be covered in the first phase of implementation of CAS, according to a report in The Economic Times.

Indigenous comic strip character Chacha Chaudhary will come to life on Sahara TV from 13 May.
Produced by Ketan Mehta‘s Maya Entertainment, the simple, earthy Chacha with the twitchy nose and keen brain will pit his skills against evil villains with native ingenuity and common sense in the serial. Versatile actor Raghuveer Yadav plays the simple detective in this unusual show. Pravin Kumar plays his friend and supporter Saboo, a 20 feet tall alien who can fly his way through difficulties and helps Chacha out of physical fights. The odd yet endearing couple, Saboo and their red convertible who live a simple life are expected to provide a new dimension to Sahara‘s evening programming. The serial will air Mondays to Wednesdays at seven pm.

Invented as a children‘s fiction adventure cum thriller created in a comic format by the famous cartoonist Pran in 1960, Chacha Chaudhary and its characters have attained a legendary platform in the country. The series attempts to bring to the small screen, this famous character and make it available to the much larger TV viewing audiences, says the production house. Graphic technology and innovative special effects have been employed by Maya Entertainment to bring Chacha‘s antics to life. The serial is scripted by Ravi Pandey and directed by Mohit Jha.

Discovery channel returns to India for the second instalment of its reality show featuring babies, World Birthday. The concept involves filming babies born on the same day and Mumbai figures among the cities chosen for shooting on location for the day. Reports say footage will be shot either at the Wadia, Bhatia or KEM hospitals in central Mumbai on 10 July. The show will air on New Year‘s Day 2003.

World Birthday is also scheduled to visit Afghanistan, South Africa, Argentina, Russia, Japan, Memphis and Scotland. As with last time, the channel will concentrate on the cultural diversity across countries and the manner in which people belonging to different races react to a newborn.

World Birthday is a co-production of Discovery Networks International (DNI), TLC (The Learning Channel) and the Granada/New York Times Joint Venture.

Discovery Channel also has plans for a World Wedding Day show. As the name suggests, marriages across the world will be filmed on the same day showing differences in customs and traditions. Launched in 1995, Discovery Channel India claims to reach over 21 million homes and has recently been revamped with a complete image makeover.