Home minister heads several groups of ministers, including the one to decide the revival package for Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam. His ministry also takes decisive calls on national security in relation to telecom operations as well as equipment and technology used in the industry.
The Union Cabinet has approved the modalities for holding 5G spectrum auctions, and 72097.85 MHz of radio waves will be put on the block by July-end, an official release said on Wednesday.
Every defaulter is not a wilful defaulter who has the capability of paying back and is yet not servicing the bank loan, observes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The fine is based on the loss estimated by internal committees of DoT to the national exchequer due to violation of licence norms by Vodafone.
The minister said the companies have given representation which is being examined by the DoT before taking a final decision.
Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Thursday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the trial court order which had held that Home Minister P Chidmbaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy in the 2G case and refused to make him an accused in it. Swamy has alleged that Chidambaram as culpable as former telecom minister A Raja as he also had a role in deciding the spectrum pricing and allowing telecom companies to off-load shares to foreign firms.
'He is trying to divert attention. The media is creating unnecessary hype. When Raja says he was doing things at PMO's behest it does not necessarily mean that the prime minister is involved. Dr Manmohan Singh is a person who needs to be revered than merely praised,' says Constitutional expert Fali S Nariman.
A Delhi court on Friday reserved its order on the bail plea of former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura, an accused in 2G spectrum scam case, who countered the conspiracy charge against him by saying he was implementing a policy backed by the Prime minister.
Upon discovery of the price for 3G and Broadband Wireless Access spectrum, BSNL and MTNL recently paid Rs 18,500.38 crore (Rs 185 billion) and Rs 11,097.97 crore (Rs 110.97 billion), respectively, to the government.
As Telecom Minister A Raja finally quit, speculation was rife that either party MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi or Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran could replace him. Though there was no official word on who would hold the Telecom portfolio, indications were available that either Kanimozhi or Maran, both from the DMK's first family, may be the next in line.
Sun TV's stock ended the day with a loss of 4.84 per cent at Rs 392.10 on the BSE. During the day, it lost 9.54 per cent to Rs 372.70.
It aims to attract $100 billion investment and create 4 million jobs in the sector by 2022.
Swamy recalled that he had filed a petition to the prime minister in November last year seeking the sanction to launch criminal investigation on a private complaint under different sections of the PCA.
Sivasankran alleges Maran had forced him to sell Aircel.
Legal battles involving corporate czars like the Ambanis and Tatas figured prominently in the Supreme Court in 2010, but it was the Niira Radia controversy that threw the light on the corporate prowess in certain quarters of the government, already under fire over a telecom scam.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal was on Saturday given additional charge of the law ministry while Road and Transport Minister C P Joshi was entrusted with the charge of the railways ministry, following the resignation of Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Bansal on Friday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, in its second chargesheet likely to be filed on Monday, may name Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, wife Dayalu Ammal and several others for allegedly getting benefits out of the allocation of 2G spectrum to certain telecom firms.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee, probing the 2G telecom spectrum allocation scam, is unlikely to call former Telecom Minister A Raja as a witness before it.
Amid speculation that she will succeed A Raja as Telecom Minister, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi said a decision on the issue will be taken by party president M Karunanidhi, even as she made it clear that the alliance with Congress is "as strong as ever".
P Chidambaram's son Karti was arrested on February 28 at the Chennai airport on his return from the United Kingdom, for his alleged role in facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance for INX Media Ltd. and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 by voice vote following a walkout by opposition members over the Manipur issue.
The government may earn about Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion) from the new telecom spectrum policy, which seeks to delink licences from spectrum, if it decides to fix the price based on the figure discovered through last year's 3G auction.
Acting on a Central Bureau of Investigation's plea, a special CBI court has issued judicial requests to four countries seeking details of the money trail in the Aircel-Maxis deal, in which former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran is an accused. The Letters Rogatory to the United Kingdom, Bermuda, Malaysia and Mauritius were issued by a Patiala House court last week in the case. The CBI has alleged that Maran had received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja on Wednesday subjected erstwhile Telecom Secretary D S Mathur to intense questioning during his cross-examination in the 2G case, prompting the court to caution the Dravida Munettra Kazhagam leader and his counsel against raising their voices.
In a setback to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member of Parliament Kanimozhi and seven others, a Delhi court on Thursday dismissed their bail pleas in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited had invited bids to add 93 million GSM lines about two years ago and one of the leading vendor Nokia-Siemens Network was disqualified on technical issues and since then the PSU has not been able to place the orders because of various reasons including legal battles.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested the special secretary of the Chhattisgarh excise department in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Rs 2,000 crore liquor syndicate scam in the state.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja, facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case, was Thursday allowed by a Delhi court to visit Tamil Nadu till November 25 from Friday.
Idea takes the matter back to Supreme Court as cancellation-hit telcos make decisive moves.
"I want to reiterate that I went as per the telecom policy of 1999, as per recommendations of Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India and vision contemplated by the government. If there have been any procedural lapses. Let it be investigated. No problem at all," Raja told reporters here two days after he unceremoniously put in his papers.
The government on Monday asserted that there was no loss to the exchequer due to allocation of 2G spectrum to some telecom companies in 2008.
The solicitor general and the TDSAT have both okayed Raja's moves.
Union IT and Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday said IT and telecom hardware industry will be under a zero-duty regime from 2005.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to respond to the CAG report that points towards large-scale irregularities and favouritism allegedly by Telecom Minister A Raja in the Rs 70,000-crore (Rs 700 billion) 2G spectrum allocation scam in 2008.
'Inter-ministerial coordination, information on the proposed PSUs, and due diligence are taking longer than expected to conclude the process.'
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday sought clarifications from Standard Chartered Bank officials in connection with its probe into former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran's allegations that the then Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran forced him to sell his company to Malaysia-based Maxis group in 2006.
Former telecom minister A Raja, who has so far not cross-examined any witness in the 2G case trial, is likely to open his defence next week by questioning his former additional private secretary Aseervatham Achary, a prosecution witness, sources said.
Even as the United Progressive Alliance government battles protests by Opposition BJP over the selection of Telecom Secretary PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, it has now been stung by one of its allies, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is reportedly upset over the lack of courtesy extended by the government on the appointment.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances