In the first formal interview to the press after taking charge, Ms Swaraj gives a sneak preview of the entertaining days ahead. Excerpts:This is your second tenure in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

How do you perceive the role of the I&B Ministry in this second avtaar?
It's become an economic ministry, from being a propaganda ministry. With entertainment turning a happening sector, the role and status of I&B have gone up several notches.

Are there any pending priorities from your previous agenda?
The first phase of uplinking was in my previous tenure. Now I'm concluding it. Again, during my previous term, the film industry had got the industry status. Now, the IDBI notification has made funding easier. There are other things too which I'll take to their logical conclusion.

There are concerns that you will enforce a stricter code for television channels and cable operators. Is that on your agenda?
There is no question of a stricter code. The channels and cable operators should follow the rules which are already there. Television, from the beginning has been a family media, and it should stay that way. I'm only talking of a ground reality where the entire family sits together to watch programmes, without feeling embarrassed.

Let's consider the recent granting of the `industry' status to the entertainment sector under the IDBI Act. While the notification is through, what steps will the government be taking to ensure that funding actually becomes easier for the industry?
We have done what we had to do by notifying the IDBI Act. Now Ficci and CII should take up the challenge and help make the projects of the entertainment industry viable for funding. So far, the entertainment industry has been individual-based. It's the task of the business chambers to corporatise it. The government is only a facilitator. Now that we've issued the IDBI notification, banks can't turn down entertainment companies on the pretext that the requisite notification has not been issued.

One key issue which will be decided under your watch, will be the Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service. What are your concerns on the DTH?
It's not a question of a personal view. It's the Group of Ministers (GoM) which will take a decision on DTH. We had a detailed discussion on the subject at the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting on October 17. We're meeting again on October 29 to take the discussion further. Probably at that meeting or at another one soon, we'll take a final decision on DTH. In the previous meeting, the GoM had asked the I&B ministry to apprise the group on two issues. These were issues relating to the worldwide practice on DTH and their success stories; and the views of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation. We also discussed why DTH should be introduced and if it is introduced, what should the modalities be including its commercial viability.

Like I had said earlier, the proposal is under consideration of the Ministry. Since media is not just another sector, extra caution is needed in allowing the foreign media's entry. One good thing that has happened after my statement at the recent Economic Editors' Conference is that a national debate has been generated on the subject.

Yes, we expect everyone to pay up by October 30. The deadline will not be extended any further.We are meeting a group of cable operators today (Wednesday) to figure out the broad parameters on the basis of which cable operators can be held responsible for violating the Act. Only in cases where cable operators are indulging in video piracy, showing advertisements which are banned, and not following the `must carry clause', they'll be punished. But in cases where the cable operator has no control over what is being beamed, he won't be punished.

Mission Kashmir' and `Mohabattein' will be the testing ground for checking video piracy under the amended Cable Act. How will you monitor this? The I&B ministry has sent telegrams to the state secretaries to monitor if video piracy of these two films is taking place or not. Eight home secretaries have already begun the process of monitoring. This is the first initiative of the kind and it will be an ongoing process.

What's promulgating the move behind the `convergence' of the three ministries: I&B, IT and telecom?
It's not a move, rather it's a thought. It's an administrative decision. But right now, we are addressing the issue of convergence through the Convergence Bill. India is only the second country, after Malaysia, to bring in the convergence legislation.

Is it true that you asked for an enquiry into the events relating to the involvement of Mr Pramod Mahajan's relatives in getting a DD serial cleared? No, I did not ask for any investigation or enquiry. I just asked for comments on the report which was published in a newspaper. It was found that it was only a case of default and not one of corruption or nepotism.