In a first of its kind initiative, the National Stock Exchange, the country's largest bourse, entered a strategic relationship with CNBC-TV18 under which the latter would broadcast trading and other trading related information live through its channels.

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram inaugurated the TV18 media centre at NSE on Monday morning.

In the last session of trade last Friday, January 12, the Nifty and the Sensex closed at all time highs. NSE accounts for 85% of the trade on an average day both in cash and the derivative markets.

The finance minister says that transparency is the hallmark of an efficient securities market and the reforms over the last decade and half have increased the level of transparency dramatically.

"Today the market participants are required to disclose all relevant information about themselves, their products and services and similarly they are expected to use all relevant information for making decisions. Over time the use of information by investors and intermediaries has increased. The accuracy of information has improved and the scope of information has broadened," he adds.

NSE Managing Director Ravi Narain is rather pleased with the joint initiative between NSE and CNBC-TV18. "We think this is another important step in bringing our markets into line with global best practices. We also believe this will help in furthering our goals to bring the market to the door step of investors."

The finance minister said it is now time to focus efforts on making the information available instantaneously to the entire target audience domestic and overseas. "The joint initiative of NSE and TV18 to set up a media centre to bring real time linkages between markets, corporates and the investing community, live from the NSE is a step in this direction."

"I am sure that this will bring the market closer to the investors and will improve the level of communication between the companies and their managements and their shareholders," he adds.

While this initiative will disseminate information about the companies and the market, Chidambaram urges the exchange to devise a mechanism to make available the historical market data they have in their possession as a bi-product.

He further adds, "This would help researchers, regulators and policy makers in informed policy making. It would also add to the revenue of the exchange. My good wishes to this very novel and path breaking initiative."

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