New Delhi: State-owned telecom service providers MTNL and BSNL are burdened with debt. Companies do not even have the money to pay their employees on time. Now the government is eyeing their plight. According to information received from the sources, a high-level panel set up to rescue the two companies has been asked by the PMO to clarify whether these can be brought in a beneficial condition or not, and how it will be done if it is possible. 

The order came after the Finance Ministry objected to a proposal sent by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to revive the two companies. Before that the revival plan introduced by the Department of Telecommunications had been approved by the Group of Ministers headed by Home Minister Amit Shah. The official said that during the meeting last week, the PMO panel headed by Principal Secretary PK Mishra had asked whether Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) could be revived.

The panel has constituted a committee of secretaries to find answers to these questions. Apart from Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash, the committee includes officials from the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), NITI Aayog, Investment and Public Asset Management Department (Deepam). This committee can submit the report this week. The Group of Ministers constituted under the chairmanship of Amit Shah includes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

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