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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US rules out use of nuclear weapons against Iran
Washington DC: The White House has reportedly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, even as uncertainty continues over ongoing peace negotiations and a deadline set by US President Donald Trump approaches.
Issues bout a possible escalation had increased after US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” in dealing with Iran.
His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a deadline linked to peace efforts.
The situation has attracted attention as Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight tonight” if an agreement is not reached by Tuesday at 8 pm.
This statement led to speculation about the possibility of extreme military measures, including a nuclear strike.
Following Vance’s comments, the White House issued a clarification distancing itself from such interpretations. In a post on X, it said, "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons." In a later statement, it added that “only the president knows” what action will be taken regarding Iran.
Literally nothing @VP said here "implies" this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
