Question : APPLICATIONS FOR STARTING NEW TELEVISION CHANNELS

(a) the details of requirements for applying to start a local language television channel;

(b) the number of applications received from the companies to start new television channels in various languages including the Malayalam and Kannada languages separately during the last three years and the current year;

(c) the details of the channels given licenses by the Government and applications still pending, language-wise;

(d) the reasons for not granting the licenses to those applicants; and

(e) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF THE STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING (SHRI MANISH TEWARI)

(a) to (e) Permissions are granted to companies to operate private satellite TV channels in accordance with the Policy guidelines for Uplinking/ Downlinking of TV channels 2011 available on the Ministry’s website at www.mib.nic.in. These permissions are issued on pan-India basis in various languages as sought by the Company. At present 230 applications for operating TV channels in various languages including Malayalam and Kannada are in different stages of processing and Inter Ministerial clearances (Annexure). The details of permitted channels are at Ministry’s website.