 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The Group of Ministers on telecom headed by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh is likely to submit its final report to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by November 15. An interim report will also be presented by October 15.
According to senior government officials, the dates for submission of reports and the composition of the GoM will be formally notified by the Cabinet secretariat. As per the government's initial proposal, Planning Commission member N K Singh, who was chairman of the group, which authored the New Telecom Policy and S Narayan, advisor, Prime Minister's Office were supposed to be part of the GoM. But the list approved by Vajpayee does not have these two names.
The six-member group includes Defence Minister George Fernandes, Communication Minister Arun Shourie, Law Minister Arun Jaitley, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.
The draft term of reference of the GoM has eight points that include ensuring adequate release of spectrum for the telecom sector, recommending measures to ensure faster growth of telecom connectivity in the rural areas, resolving issues relating to the enactment of the Convergence Bill and suggesting interim measures for achieving convergence.
The GoM has also to suggest measures to enforce limited mobility within the short distance charging area for WLL (wireless in local loop) services of the basic services and recommend the future course in this regard.
The issues relating to raising the foreign direct investment limits in the telecom sector, mergers and acquisitions and imposition of trade tax on telecom services by state governments will also come under the GoM.
The move to set up a GoM on telecom comes after weeks of hectic parleying by industry representatives seeking the prime minister's intervention on various issues affecting the sector. Honchos from both cellular and basic services companies met Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and senior officials in the PMO to push through their viewpoints. Shourie also made presentation to Jaswant Singh and Advani recently.
The government is also moving towards a new telecom policy to reduce litigations in the telecom sector.
The recommendations of the GoM can be used as the broad outline for the new policy envisaging a pan India technology neutral licence.