Prepare strategy for making indigenous STBs: Par panel to Min

In its 40th report, the Standing Committee on Information and Technology suggested that the government may consider increasing the duty on imported STBs.

The Committee, in its report today, said that while the government carried out a law to make digital cable mandatory, the I&B Ministry did not conduct any survey to ascertain the domestic preparedness in the manufacturing of STBs.

The panel said that during its deliberations certain crucial issues related to Research and Development cropped up and it learnt that the country would take some time before it became self-reliant in manufacturing STBs.

The Committee said it felt that even if the industry was in a position to produce indigenous STBs, government support was required in this regard.

The panel suggested the I&B Ministry coordinate with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology on the issue of extension of the proposed deadline after having detailed strategy about manufacturing STBs indigenously.

The I&B Ministry plans to digitise the entire cable industry across the country by December 2014 and this requires each cable viewing household to procure a STB.

In another recommendation, the panel said the Ministry should speed up the approvals of its Plan schemes to that execution commences without delay.

The panel said that it was constrained to note that when the 12th Plan had already commenced, the Ministry proposed to undertake the evaluation of some of the schemes of the previous Plan. (More)