No Plans to Merge BSNL, MTNL: Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha on Thursday said the government has no plans to merge the two state-run telecom companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) at present. Speaking on the sidelines of an event here, the minister said the government has not considered the merger of the two entities but was working to ensure that collaboration between the two PSUs strengthens and benefits both the organisations.

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Referring to Sinha’s remark, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said: “The idea is to bring the two organisations together, but whether it will actually be a merger that is not under consideration at the moment.” The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday announced a “strategic plan” to bring synergy among seven public sector units (PSUs) under it, which included both BSNL and MTNL.

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According to the DoT, all the PSUs and organisations under it will be able to work together in synergy and address various business opportunities arising in the country following the recommendations in the “strategic plan”. “We have identified specific areas that our teams will work upon like training of man power, settlement of legal issues, and utilisation of vacant spaces, in order to demonstrate the true value of Synergy. I am also pleased to see the focus on clearly defined timelines and performance indicators,” Sinha said.

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