Jyotiraditya Scindia defends BSNL's growth amid Opposition's criticism in Parliament

In Short

• BSNL's subscribers rose from 8.80 lakh to 90.7 lakh
• BSNL's 4G network expected by May 2025, says Jyotiraditya Scindia
• Shiv Sena (UBT) leader questions MPs' telecom provider choices

A heated exchange took place in Parliament on Wednesday between Shiv Sena UBT MP Arvind Sawant and BJP's Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, over the status of BSNL subscribers in India.

Scindia responded in Marathi to a question posed by Pratibha Dhanorkar, a Congress MP from Maharashtra, regarding BSNL's current state. "I want to ask the honourable MP, when it was their government, what was the situation of BSNL in India? In 2019, during PM Modi's governance, we gave Rs 3,35,000 crore to BSNL. The Rs 9,000 crore loss-making PSU is now making Rs 2,000 crore profit," Scindia said.

On BSNL subscribers, he said, "From April to November 2024, BSNL now has 90.7 lakh subscribers, up from 8.80 lakh previously."

Scindia provided an update on BSNL’s 4G network, saying that it could be completed by May next year. "We have provided 2,500 BTS for the 4G network. In the monsoon session of Parliament in July 2024, the communications ministry informed that the rollout of BSNL’s 4G services may take another year. The network is now expected to be completed by May 2025," Scindia explained. "So far, BSNL has activated only 1,000 sites, with an ambitious target of 100,000 sites across the country," he added.

The debate began when Sawant challenged the MPs from the NDA about their choice of telecom providers. "The MTNL has been serving Mumbai-Delhi for decades, but I know to ask the honourable minister, since 2014, how many MPs are using a BSNL connection? Everyone has Jio here," Sawant said, adding that "lawmakers only use BSNL SIM cards because it is free."

Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, intervened, stating, "Don't challenge this, in Parliament offices we use only BSNL and MTNL services."

Scindia also mentioned the workforce, stating, "Currently, there are 55,000 employees at BSNL, and we are responsible for them."

The government’s revival package for BSNL goes beyond the 2019 package. In 2022, the cabinet approved an additional Rs 1.64 lakh crore package to strengthen BSNL’s position in the competitive Indian telecom market.

Published By:

Akhilesh Nagari

Published On:

Dec 5, 2024