Congress Bled BSNL To "Death Almost", We Are Reviving It: Finance Minister
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has accused the previous Congress regime of bleeding the state-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to "death almost", while adding that the BJP-led NDA government is giving money to the company to buy 4G spectrum and become competitive.
She was responding to allegations of Shiv Sena member Arvind Sawant in Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the government was killing state-owned BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), while at the same time it was helping private sector players like Vodafone.
"BSNL is a part of our strategic asset... we are giving (the company) money to buy 4G spectrum and become competitive," she said while intervening during a discussion on general budget in the lower house.
BSNL, she said "lost full ten years" because of the treatment meted out to it by the previous Congress government. "There was 2G exploitation because of which BSNL lost out... you (Congress) allowed all kinds of corruption in 2G", she added.
When the NDAÂ government came to power in 2014, BSNL was in a bad shape and did not have money to pay salaries, she said, adding that the NDA government provided funds so that the company could come out with a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and clear dues of its employees.
The Modi government has given money to the company to buy 4G spectrum, she said.
-
Unhedged Position: Can India See An Indonesia-Style Time Correction?
The Nifty is trading below levels it first clocked in 2024. Is there, then, as I have suggested in the headline, potential that the current time correction drags on painfully for the next three-five, even ten years?
-
Navigating Friction And Energy Realities: An Analysis Of Marco Rubio's October Visit To India
Occurring at a critical juncture marked by stalled trade negotiations and escalating geopolitical pressures over global energy supplies, the visit offers a profound window into modern US-India relations.
-
India Exports Capital. Why Not Export Trusteeship?
The big question, then, is whether India can build an institution that global borrowers, investors, banks, and lawyers can trust, even without an Indian connection.
-
France's Economy & Politics Are In Crisis | The Reason Why
Let's look at how the French economy and politics evolved under Nicolas Sarkozy, Franois Hollande and Emmanuel Macron.
-
You May Inherit The Business. You Must Earn Its Credibility.
Succession tests the founder's ability to share authority as much as it tests the next generation's readiness to assume it.
-
Signing Deals Is One Thing; Making Them Work Is Another | The Week In Whys
Sometimes, things don't turn out as planned. Indian companies have lost some bids to rivals, some projects won't produce until 2030.
-
FOMC Wall, PERM Suspension, Hospital Stocks | Talking Points This Week
A PERM suspension would directly affect green-card sponsorship rather than H-1B visas, so the near-term earnings impact could remain relatively limited. The key question is whether this marks a new phase in US scrutiny of Indian IT.
-
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Dalal Street's Week To Forget | Joining The Dots
Visa curbs, a Starlink spat and cancer drug caps: what connects this week's shocks for Indian markets
-
India Is Going Abroad For Critical Minerals. But It May Take Years To Pay Off | The Reason Why
Although India's steps are in the right direction, they remain modest compared with India's growing dependence.
-
When Everyone Has AI, What Gives You An Edge?
India's young workforce is entering an uncertain world of work where powerful AI tools are becoming widely accessible. The advantage will belong to those who combine deep expertise with digital fluency, and the distinctly human capabilities that technology cannot manufacture.
