PEOPLE

CNN's New Delhi bureau chief Anita Pratap who was responsible for South Asia coverage on the channel has put in her papers. No replacement has been announced. Pratap is expected to concentrate on "developmental journalism."

VIEWPOINT

If it is the creation of a private monopoly that the government is worried about, it should encourage and not discourage competition (in DTH television). And if it is the quality of programming that is bothering it, the matter should be left to families buying the service. After all at Rs 15,000 per DTH connection, how big is the problem going to be in a country where people complain about paying even Rs 50 for the pay channels supplied by cable operators.

An editorial in Indian business daily Business Standard on the government's intentions relating to direct-to-home television policies.

Unless the government has a coherent strategy - apart from raising money - behind allowing DTH services, it should not. The money will disappear quickly. And we may well end up with a repeat of what happened with telecom licensing. Respected Vajpayee (the Indian Prime Minister), Narayanan (the Indian President), and Mahajan (the information and broadcasting minister), please do your homework before taking any decisions you may well regret in future.

Excerpt from a media column in Indian business daily Financial Express.