I&B Ministry
Pricing major concern for consumers: NFO survey
NEW DELHI: How does the consumer perceive the conditional access regime? Is he ready for CAS? Questions, notwithstanding – the crux of the I&B Ministry-NFO Survey – monthly CAS payout is the over-riding concern for consumers.
Costs for the set-top-box and having to shell out separately for each channel – emerged ‘worrisome’ issues for many – at least in Kolkata and Delhi and to some extent in Mumbai. Chennai seemed least rattled.
It is likely that most in Chennai would switch-over to CAS as soon as implemented, the other three metros seemed a mixed lot. An equal number would convert to CAS, while others mentioned waiting one to maximum three months- before making the switch-over. Majority find CAS acceptable in principle, but would like to know more about it.
Interestingly, across metros most consumers would prefer purchasing a set-top-box as opposed to hiring one. The unanimous view across metros is that STB should be priced below Rs 2,000 or if at a monthly rental for an austere Rs 50 per month.
Regarding advantages of CAS – consumers were buoyant with the thought of paying only for channels they would like to watch-some terming it as “the right to choose” and the “freedom to choose” -manifested as transfer of power from the cable-operators hands to the consumer.
The survey was conducted across all socio-economic-classifications A, B, C, D and E, essentially among chief-wage-earners and housewives. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2003 and confined to areas ‘earmarked’ for phase 1 roll-out, which means Chennai was completely covered and for other metros restricted to areas as per the CAS notification. Methodology adopted was quantitative using a structured questionnaire with a mix of closed and open-end ones. NFO interviewed a total sample base of 2,000 respondents.
Majority of the households surveyed own single television sets. And close to 30 per cent Kolkata homes own a black and white television set. While most homes could actually receive close to one hundred channels on their TV sets – most actually received only close to 30 channels.
The survey also covered consumers’ view on how much they would like to pay for each channel – across genres. Consumers were also asked if they watched advertisements and if they would pay more if ads were curtailed. Interestingly, while most watched ads – consumers seemed least affected with advts being taken off the air there were not ready to incur any additional monetary load.
I&B Ministry
MeitY & Reliance Foundation launch e-SafeHER cyber training for Women
Programme aims to train one million rural women in cyber safety over three years
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has partnered with Reliance Foundation and C-DAC Hyderabad to launch ‘e-SafeHER’, a nationwide cyber security awareness programme aimed at empowering one million women across rural India.
Anchored under the Information Security Education and Awareness Programme, the initiative will focus on building digital confidence and safe online practices among women who are increasingly using digital platforms for financial transactions, livelihoods and essential services.
The programme will be rolled out through a community-led model, with training delivered via women’s self-help groups and grassroots networks. C-DAC Hyderabad will develop and localise training content, while Reliance Foundation will drive on-ground implementation using its rural outreach platforms.
Speaking on the launch, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology secretary S Krishnan said, “e-SafeHER is an exciting opportunity to bring together knowledge and collaboration to build a cyber secure Bharat. Through this initiative, women from even the remotest regions will be empowered to participate safely in the digital ecosystem.”
Echoing this, Reliance Foundation director Isha Ambani said the initiative aims to equip women with the skills needed to navigate the online world safely. She added that the goal is to enable one million “Cyber Sakhis” who can confidently adopt digital tools to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The programme will begin with pilot training in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, before scaling nationwide through a phased approach. It will use multilingual content, audio-visual modules and blended learning formats to ensure accessibility and engagement.
Designed for long-term impact, e-SafeHER will be integrated into existing digital literacy and women’s empowerment programmes, avoiding the need for parallel infrastructure. The initiative also aims to drive measurable behavioural change, from improved awareness of cyber risks to safer digital transactions.
By combining policy, technology and grassroots reach, the programme looks to bridge not just the digital divide, but the digital safety gap, ensuring that inclusion goes hand in hand with security.
