Telecom Minister A Raja, who has retained the portfolio he held in the previous UPA government,quoted in an interview that 3G auction will be held in two months and his top priority is to bring down the mobile tariffs to 10 paise a minute for local calls and 25 paise a minute for STD calls.
In India at present local call rates vary from 40 paise to Re 1, and national call rates from Re 1 to Rs 2 a minute.Raja, who got the prestigious Communications and IT Ministry for the second consecutive term, feels there is enough scope for tariffs to come down and the policies followed during his previous stint would help in achieving this.
Besides, lowering the call tariffs auction of spectrum for 3G services and introduction of IT at the lowest level in government to make possible paperless functioning are also on top of his agenda.
The Minister is likely to take charge next week as he, along with his other cabinet colleagues, flew to Chennai this morning to seek their leader’s (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi) blessings.
emad June 1, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@Dennis
well says A. Raja have elegeblity for being IT minister he controlled bsnls dadagiri
@chintan Dayanidhi maran was a corropted minister not A.Raja and Pramod mahahajan chunked telecom licence as their ghar ki kheti
Dennis June 1, 2009 at 10:29 am
A Raja was the best and is going to be the best only crooked mind people will enunciate
Chintan May 31, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Dayanidhi Maran was the best Telecom-IT minister that we could have. A. Raja seems very “out of place” as a Telecom-IT minister.
Debopratim Roy May 31, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Kick out A.Raja immediately so save both BSNL & MTNL…..Else the effect for future would be worse..
James May 31, 2009 at 10:16 pm
@Debopratim Roy
Even the entire media lobby divulged about Raja he is a corrupt guy he is a puppet of private operators
Biswas May 31, 2009 at 3:33 pm
@ D. Roy, Raja is more-talk-less-work man! during his worktime, BSNL did not make any progress!! Broadband in which on pan india basis BSNL is best, is also neglected!! dnt expect anything from him, D.Maran is better than him, and Just think Swan tele scandal,Raja sucks a lot!
Debopratim Roy May 30, 2009 at 9:53 pm
We have not elected A.Raja from West Bengal let me clear this air first Emad.And am here not to do anything regaridng politics.The fact is straight that BSNL being a Govt of India Undertaking should be give equal importance and being a telecom minister he cannot ignore this fact.Its an open truth that he is very corrupted so was Dayanidhi Maran.A.Raja should also take initiative to grant BSNL the Navaratna status which the Centrl Goverment have already given recognition to MTNL who operates in only 2 circles of India.
Nitin Dhuri May 30, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Dear emad, Debopratim roy was said that just bcoz When last time A Raja at the helm in the ministry and he cut the 45-million GSM mobile phone line order of BSNL by half(from 93 mn).This time around, the controversy is over the BSNL’s 93-million-GSM line tender that was finalised just a few days before the new government took over — and, after the government-formation, one of the first things Raja, who is once again the communications minister, needs to do is to deal with the problems. With a delay of over 18 months in the first tender, BSNL was severely capacity-constrained and its market share fell from 18.5 per cent in July 2007 to 13 per cent today.so all the BSNL users feel that the minister is not good for BSNL devlopment.
emad May 30, 2009 at 3:33 pm
so thanks to Mr. Raja
@debopratim roy don’t do politics here. the indian people elected this government you must have respect them
and you can not throw out A. Raja
Debopratim Roy May 30, 2009 at 1:26 pm
One of the worthless and incompatible Telecom Minister A.Raja has again been awarded with this ministry.I am shocked how this worthless and corrupted person has ben given the Telecom portfolio again.He is only long on talking and short in work.This person in the past has been resposible for slow progress of BSNL’s exapnsion and is also Anti-BSNL for his past deeds.He has no quality to be a Telecom Minister of India.Throw out A.Raja