ICAI GETS OFFERS FOR TV CHANNEL VENTURE

 The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has received many offers from various TV channel operators for its proposed ICAI Channel, the President of the institute, Mr Ved Jain, told journalists here.The institute wants to have a pedagogic channel to help students and members. It wants to piggy-ride on the infrastructure of another channel and is mulling an arrangement under which the host channel would be called ICAI Channel for 14 hours a day.The programmes aired would run uninterrupted by commercials, so that students and members get full benefit of the time. The costs will be met out of the institute’s funds. A notable feature of the proposed channel is that it allows two-way communication. Video, of course, would be one-way, but if a student could ring-in or email a query it will be answered on air.Today, there are 1.5 lakh chartered accountants in India and 3.5 lakh students. “When I go abroad and mention this, people just go crazy looking at these numbers,” Mr Jain said.Contrary to an impression that the attraction of IT/ITES sectors is weaning away young men and women from the accounting profession, there is actually a growing interest in it — figures provided by Mr Jain show. Between 2001 and 2005, about 40,000 people enrolled as students each year. The number rose to 99,000 in 2006 and 1.53 lakh in 2007.