Bangalore: Union government has now decided to seek concurrence of state governments for the implementation and spread of the Conditional Access System (CAS), the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad indicated on September 13.

"Now, we have decided that henceforward we would like to have proper recommendations of state governments," Prasad told reporters when asked when it would be implemented in Bangalore.

When a questioner told him that CAS has not been "well-accepted" in Chennai and that many channels have been "cut-off" under the regime, he disputed it. "People in Chennai are happy (with CAS)," he said.

"CAS is a consumer-friendly initiative. There should not be a kind of conflicting interests on political chess-board. CAS should not be allowed to become an object of Centre-state hostility," he stressed.

"CAS is a consumer-friendly regime. We will try to work it out and we are working it out," he said.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has reportedly convened a meeting with Chief Secretaries of Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to discuss CAS-related matters next week.

PTI