MUMBAI: The mystery regarding NaMo TV is rising. Now, DTH operator Tata Sky has termed it as a Hindi news service, which provides the latest breaking news on national politics, on its Twitter handle. It also said that the channel is added to all subscribers as a launch offer and there is "no option to delete the individual channel".

Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) of India sought a reply from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on the sudden launch of NaMo TV. According to a report from The Print, the channel never applied for a broadcast licence and does not even have a compulsory security clearance.

It has been more than a week since its launch but till now there is no clarity on whether the channel has been classified as news or non-news. The report also added that MIB is considering issuing a notice to DTH operators for carrying an unauthorised channel. Media reports also suggest that it is a kind of advertising platform which does not need any kind of approval before going live.

Two political parties, Congress and AAP have raised the matter with the EC questioning its launch especially after the model code of conduct before elections came into force. AAP’s legal cell, in its letter to EC, also raised the question that who would monitor the content of the channel. Neither Content TV nor NaMo TV find a mention in the list of permitted satellite TV channels on the MIB website.

After undergoing a test run for several months, the channel went live as NaMo TV. The channel had no formal launch and there isn’t any information in the public domain about its ownership.

The channel appears to be an extension of the popular NaMo app that contains information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's welfare schemes and other activities. NaMo TV airs programmes related to the Prime Minister, his speeches and government ads. Even BJP social media handles have been tweeting asking viewers to tune in to the channel. The channel is available on Videocon d2h, Dish TV, Tata Sky at 302, 770, and 512 respectively. It also has a picture of the Prime Minister as its logo.