Union Budget 2005 Specials only on CNBC-TV18

Media release, February 23, 2005

New Delhi

CNBC-TV18, the acknowledged leader and trendsetter in business news, as part of its union budget line up called 'Will the dream team deliver?' endeavours to highlight the

various issues and sectors that the FM is likely to address, while trying to strike the right balance. This year CNBC- TV18 has designed a plethora of new programmes including CEO Poll and Common Man Poll. In addition to the Polls CNBC-TV18 has launched the first ever Budget caravan which will travel thorough the length and breadth of the country, carrying views and demands of a cross section of the Indian society.

CNBC-TV18's unparalleled budget programming for the Union Budget 2005 will be led by India's best known business anchors, with analysis by India's most respected economic experts. Views & reactions from India's most powerful industry captains, in-depth discussions with India's best known finance faces and high profile forums with India's most knowledgeable, will complete CNBC-TV18's budget programming, giving its viewers an all round perspective of the Union Budget 2005.

The Budget Caravan

To reach out to the audiences from farmers, small industries, medium sized entrepreneurs, small town families, big town retailers, CNBC-TV18's Budget caravan will be travelling from India's commercial capital - Mumbai to its political capital, collecting along the way, a cross section of Budget aspirations from across Indian society.

The initiative has so far spanned seven states, from the famed Garlic Country "Lasangaon" in Maharashtra to the Diamond Units in Madhya Pradesh to the Grape Farms of Nasik and the Ultra Modern Gurgaon Industrial Zone.

The diverse target groups that were covered in this initiative offer a very interesting and comprehensive wish list, ranging from a focus on infrastructure to increased subsidies, to the setting up of Special Economic Zones.

CNBC-TV18's Common Man Poll

In a bid to air the opinions of the common man, the people who are the basis for the formation of governments and of any economy, no matter how developed, CNBC-TV18 will telecast the Common Man Poll as part of its budget programming.

The CNBC-TV18 Common Man Poll brings the views and opinions of the Indian public to the screen in a format that is easily understood and which provides a comprehensive coverage of the mood of the nation. This poll will seek the opinion of the man on the street on certain critical issues, and will portray the results in the form of special graphic

segments on the channel.

The CNBC-TV18 Common Man Poll will be telecast on February 23, 2005 at 22.00 hrs and February 27, 2005 at 19.00 hrs.

CNBC TV 18 commissioned Synovate to conduct a poll, in a quantitative study using a structured questionnaire was administered to respondents, face-to-face - among the educated masses to capture views on the forthcoming Union Budget 2005.

The cities covered were Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Patna, Lucknow, Pune, with a sample size of 1124 respondents belonging to SEC A and B in the age group, 25-60 years.

In sum the results of the poll were as follows:

The common man wants lower income tax

Farmers should not be taxed is the majority view

Trusts the dream team but is a tad wary

Gutka should be taxed at par with cigarettes - say the educated lot

Strong support for Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme

CNBC-TV18's CEO Poll

CNBC-TV18's CEO Poll brings the mood, views and opinions of the top decision makers in the corporate world in the form of special polls created specifically for this purpose. Each CEO will be given a questionnaire on the most pressing business issues in our day, and the results will be aired in two parts - CEO Poll I and CEO Poll II in a two and a half hour show, in the form of specially designed programmes that will be simple and interesting.

Synovate conducted a poll among CEOs and top management executives of leading companies in FMCG, Durable, Auto, Financial Services, IT and Telecom.

The CNBC-TV18 CEO Poll results were as follows:

CEOs expect a pro-industry budget

High levels of uncertainty in tax matters. Business barons do not know what to expect.

Faith and confidence levels high in FM

CNBC-TV18's CEO Poll I and CEO Poll II will be aired on February 26,

2005 at 22:00 hrs and 22:30 hrs respectively.

Commenting on the out-of-the-box initiatives by CNBC-TV18 for the Union Budget 2005, Mr B Saikumar, Vice President, Marketing, said, "The Union Budget 2005 affects everyone today be it a small time vendor to the biggest corporate honchos. CNBC-TV18 as India's No. 1 Business News channel, would like to reach out and feel the pulse of representatives from every section of the Indian society. CNBC-TV18 endeavours to air

the views, opinions and expectations to the budget makers from all sections of Indian society through its unique programmes - the CEO Poll, the common man Poll and the Budget Caravan which will travel across the diverse landscape of the Indian subcontinent -- carrying the wishlists of various target groups to the political capital - New Delhi"

For further information, please contact

Glen/Janice/ Lorraine

Tel: 022 5633 5969

98214 14845/ 98193 16878/ 98198 90093

Email: glen@hanmerpr.com/janice@hanmepr.com/ lorraine@hanmerpr.com