But now the director of the channel will take up the issue further. The controversy over the channel arose when its contents were found to be hurting the sensibilities of some people.

The I&B Ministry has been monitoring FTV for the past 15 days to identify the extent of objectionable programmes on the channel. Also, a consultative committee has been set up to look into the report to be submitted by the monitoring agency on the channel. The committee is scheduled to meet on February 15 to take a decision on the issue.

On the subject of Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service, the minister said that the I&B Ministry has approved the DTH guidelines already.

Now the guidelines are with the Law Ministry for vetting. On the Conditional Access System (CAS) for the cable industry, the Minister said that an amendment in the Cable Act was needed to introduce the system. Earlier, it was proposed to be introduced without an amendment.

Meanwhile according to a PTI report the government is preparing a draft amendment to bring in the Conditional Access System (CAS), which gives viewers the choice of TV channels doing away with "forced viewing".

The CAS, a long-pending demand of the cable operators, was favoured by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which had sent it to the Law Ministry seeking to know, if the system could be brought in with a notification.

While the Draft Amendment is getting ready, the government has called a meeting with the cable operators to discuss the issue.

The CAS, which requires a set-top box, enables viewers to select and pay for only those channels they choose to watch.