MUMBAI: It is not just Star News that is awaiting uplinkng clearance, information and broadcasting minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, informed the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) in a written reply today.

India Today group's English News Channel, and Prannoy Roy's NDTV World are also among the 24-hour news channels awaiting the government's clearance for uplinking from India, a Press Trust of India report quoted Prasad as saying today.

While India Today's Hindi channel Aaj Tak is already being uplinked from the country, the Government has permitted one news channel from New Delhi Television Ltd to uplink from India but is still examining the proposal for another channel NDTV World, Prasad said.

Further, proposals of BBC, Star News Broadcasting and Independent News Service (for channel called India TV) were still being examined, he added.

Responding to a query fro Manoj Bhattacharya on what steps have been taken to safeguard the country's security, cultural heritage and sensitivity in case permission is granted to foreign channels to uplink, the minister said the policy of uplinking of foreign- owned news and current affairs TV channels from India is being examined for purposes of providing safeguards, PTI reported.

Among the 24-hour news channels already granted uplinking permission include Sun TV's four channels, Jain TV, Zee News and seven separate channels from Sahara Sanchar Ltd.