News Broadcasting
Prasad likely to ‘brief’ Thackeray on CAS Friday
NEW DELHI: Facing opposition from Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray on the Conditional Access System, information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is likely to meet him in a bid to bring him around ahead of its July 15 implementation in the four metros.
The minister is leaving for Mumbai tomorrow and is likely to meet Thackeray there, a Press trust of India report, quoting government sources here, said.
The fate of CAS came under a cloud with the BJP itself expressing apprehensions about its outcome following which the Prime Minister and deputy prime mMinister asked the I&B ministry to take all possible measures to ensure that it is consumer-friendly.
However, it faced another hurdle when Thackeray last week opposed its implementation saying government would have to “pay a heavy price” for its decision to force the people to buy set top boxes priced at Rs 6,000 (Thackeray was seemingly unaware that with the slashing of customs duties STB prices had come down to half that).
He also alleged that “a London based business magnate had struck a deal with the government and they want to dump their set top boxes in India”.
News Broadcasting
Parikshit Luthra exits CNBC-TV18 after 20-year run
Former bureau chief to take brief pause before next role
NEW DELHI: Senior journalist Parikshit Luthra has signed off from CNBC-TV18, marking 28 February 2026 as his final day and closing nearly two decades with Network18 Media & Investments Limited, including eight years at the business news channel.
During his tenure, Luthra interviewed prominent business leaders and Union ministers, reporting on economic policy, corporate strategy, the automobile sector and financial markets. His coverage spanned key inflection points in India’s economic narrative.
He also led new programming formats such as Newscentre, Global Eye and Global Lens, shows that examined politics and foreign policy through an economic prism, reflecting the channel’s push towards globally linked business reporting.
In a LinkedIn post, Luthra said his final weeks were spent covering the Union Budget, the India AI Summit, India’s trade agreements with the US and EU, and the group’s flagship Rising Bharat Summit 2026. He added that he continued anchoring until his last day and briefly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his closing assignments.
Luthra joined CNBC-TV18 in June 2018 as assistant editor, later rising to senior editor and chief of bureau, a position he held for over two years. Before that, he worked with Republic TV and CNN-News18.
He said he plans to take a short break before embarking on his next professional chapter.
