From correspondents in Delhi, India, 09:03 PM IST

As many as 22 new TV channels are set to spice up the menu of couch potatoes in India, with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni clearing all pending proposals Friday.

Soni has 'granted clearance to all pending proposals which were received before she took charge', the information and broadcasting ministry said here.

'A composite clearance was granted to all such proposals which were found fulfilling the requisite conditions,' it said.

The 22 new channels which have been approved include CNBC-TV 18 South, CNBC-TV 18 Gujarat, City Pulse, Krishna TV, Awam, Samaj, Mumbai News, Delhi News, Raj TV Asia, Kalaignar Asia, Apna News and ABN-Andhra Jyothy.

They also include niche channels focusing on nature, wildlife, music and religion.

With this, Indian viewers will be spolit for choice with nearly 400 channels to feed their appetite for news and entertainment. Over 360 channels are currently on air.

The new channels debut on the scene at a time when the economic recession has severely affected the media industry worldwide, including in India.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)