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STB duties: finance ministry won’t budge
MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: After a “disappointing” budget, the Consumer Electronics Traders and Manufacturers Association (CETMA), the apex body of electronics goods manufacturers in India, had to listen to more bad news today
A meeting among CETMA, information & broadcasting ministry officials and finance ministry officials ended today with it being firmly conveyed that there would be no reduction in duties on set top boxes, as was being sought by the electronics manufacturers.
“At the moment it looks that STBs will have to be imported with 51 per cent duty (25 per cent basic customs duty, 15 per cent countervailing duty and 4 per cent additional taxes), CETMA’s Suresh Khanna told indiantelevision this evening, sounding dejected.
According to Khanna in the initial phase of conditional access rollout, the whole set top box would have to be imported. It would only be later when demand picked up that semi-knock down kits and finally completely knocked down kits could be manufactured, Khanna said.
Khanna had said immediately after finance minister Jaswant Singh presented his budget that CETMA would be petitioning the I&B ministry as also the finance ministry “at the first available opportunity” to push for review of the government (in)decision on STBs, especially at a time when the government is pushing aggressively the implementation of conditional access system.
The manufacturers had been hoping that the budget would see basic customs duty on set top boxes being reduced to 10 per cent but that was not to be.
CETMA had also asked for zero per cent excise duty on finished goods and components like RF modulators and the Network Interface Module.
They had also demanded that sales tax be kept at four per cent, preventing fly by night operators and gray market from affecting legitimate sales of the Indian manufacturer. The association also wants a lead time of 90 days from the date of commercially clear purchase order for the delivery of the STBs.
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Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
