In a strange allegation, the Congress Party yesterday accused the ruling BJP at the Cenre of making elaborate plans to ‘spy’ people’s homes across the country by inserting a ‘hi-tech’ micro-chip into the set-top boxes to be made available to all across the country in view of latest regulations which make possession of a set-top box mandatory to watch all television channels.

Union Ministry of Telecommunications has reportedly instructed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to ensure that a new micro-chip is installed in all the set-top boxes to be supplied to crores of cable TV viewers across the country.  As already reported, possession of set-top box has been made mandatory even to watch State-run television channels.

The chip will reportedly intimate the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting details about which channel is loved and watched the most by viewers.  This would also provide details about the number of hours each family spends before television on each day, what time they mostly watch TV, etc. so that the Centre and the States’ awareness-creating advertizements and documentaries can be screened at that time.

However, strongly condemning the BJP-led Centre’s idea of ‘inserting’ micro-chip into set-top boxes, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala has taken to his Twitter account to thrash the Centre stating “In a serious breach of privacy, Union Minister Smriti Irani wants to know what show you watch on TV within the four walls of the bedroom, without your permission.  Why?”

He also added that it appeared that the Centre had a hidden agenda in its plan to insert micro-chips into set-top boxes across the country.