'The telecom companies are our lifeline now, despite having nearly collapsed under debt because of ill-advised policies.' 'Perhaps our obvious dependence on telecom services will spark well-conceived policies for this sector,' says Shyam Ponappa.

For stressed loans, the need is to prevent disruption in cash flows from a systemic perspective, conserving employment and assets in untainted enterprises with the potential for recovery, says Shyam Ponappa.

Cashless transactions need ubiquitous connectivity, which we don't have. And connectivity needs political and administrative convergence, says Shyam Ponappa.

It's time the government accepts that Digital India is too distant.

The marketplace was simply not conducive to the extension and evolution of broadband networks, particularly for less dense rural markets, so connectivity and services suffered.

The govt must fix regulatory hurdles to ensure growth.

Examples of coordinated initiatives.

Railway Budget is the first indicator of possibly better days

India must change approach and have better access to networks to fulfil its digitisation dream.

What we want from spectrum allocation is access to broadband networks at prices that will result in productivity gains.

Realistically, coal will be the major fuel for electricity generation in India, as in America, for a long time.

We need transformative policies and incentives with purpose, especially in solar power and digital infrastructure.