Finance ministry suggests shutting down BSNL and MTNL: Report
The finance ministry has suggested that ailing public sector undertakings Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) be shut down, reported Financial Express.
The development comes after the finance ministry rejected the proposal of the department of telecommunications (DoT) to pump in a massive Rs 74,000 crore to revive the ailing PSUs, the report added. The cost of closure won't be as high as Rs 95,000 crore as argued by the DoT earlier. The Rs 95,000 core amount was derived from the expense that will be incurred when providing an attractive voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) package to around 1.65 lakh employees of the two firms.
Shutting them down, however, will not lead to such a high expense, people aware of the matter told Financial Express. As per the report, the large volume of workers also includes officers from the Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS), who were directly recruited by the firms and those who came from other PSUs or government departments before being absorbed.
The ITS officers can be redeployed into other departments. The staff, who were recruited directly constitute, less than a tenth of the total strength of the two firms. Thus, the report added, the VRS issue will be a concern only to those who were absorbed from other departments, reducing the cost of shutting them down.
Courtesy: cnbctv18.com
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Paper leak mafia thriving under BJP's double-engine governments: Bhagwant Mann
Shimla (PTI): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the Centre over the alleged NEET paper leak and said that such incidents are surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments.
He said the leak and cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance test (NEET) 2026 examination is a major failure on the part of the Union government.
"This is not the first time that a paper leak has happened. Such incidents have surfaced in 2017, 2021, 2024, and now even in 2026 and every time, a CBI inquiry is initiated, arrests are made, yet after a short while, the accused are released on bail," he said.
Mann, who arrived at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium to boost the morale of the Punjab Kings team ahead of their upcoming IPL match, told the media that lakhs of students toil day and night, harbouring dreams of transforming their families' fortunes, but when exams are cancelled due to paper leaks, these students are left heartbroken.
The NEET 2026 paper held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 after reports of a paper leak in Rajasthan.
He said that the paper leak mafia is predominantly surfacing in regions governed by the BJP's 'double-engine' and 'triple-engine' governments. "Paper leaked, dreams shattered, the country's administrative system is unable to conduct even a single examination properly", he added.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann said that while Modi imposes various restrictions on the public, he himself continues to embark on foreign tours.
He asserted that the public deserves to know the country's true economic situation.
"The prime minister must disclose the current status of the country's oil reserves, the extent of our gold reserves, and fundamentally why restrictions are being imposed on every single commodity", he said.
No other nation has imposed such restrictions and the ongoing war is being used as a pretext, even though the country's economy is already in a precarious state, Mann added.
Regarding the ongoing campaign against drugs in Punjab, Mann said that the state government is continuously taking action against drug traffickers and asserted that a large number of traffickers are being sent to jail and that Punjab will soon move towards becoming drug-free.
Speaking about the upcoming IPL match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians to be held in Dharamshala, Mann said that he also holds the portfolio of Punjab's sports minister and has arrived in Dharamshala to cheer the team.
