Prima facie 2G spectrum allocation lacked transparency: Sibal

Sibal downplays Raja's role in 2G

PTI | January 10, 2011



Asserting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not given any direction on the pricing of spectrum in 2007, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today said prima facie it was evident that procedure to allocate spectrum lacked transparency.

"Yes, I believe so. We believe that the allocation of spectrum was wrongly made in terms of implementation of the policy. Otherwise, I would not have a one-man committee of the retired Supreme Court judge to look into the matter," he told Karan Thapar on "India Tonight" programme to be telecast on CNBC TV 18 channel.

On the issue of CAG's interpretation that former Telecom Minister A Raja disregarded Prime Minister's direction to auction 2G spectrum, Sibal said there was no such direction.

"CAG has interpreted something which the government does not agree," he added.

Last week, Sibal had slammed the government auditor Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for its projection of Rs 1.76 lakh crore as presumptive loss on account of 2G spectrum allocation, terming its methodology as "utterly erroneous."

He said there was "no loss at all" to the exchequer due to allocation of licences and 2G spectrum in 2008.

Asked about political implication of criticising CAG in public, Sibal said he sought to know on what basis the Opposition was saying the report was correct. "They were spreading this canard in the public mind that the government is responsible for the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore and when we asked for a debate in Parliament, they (Opposition) did not allow us."

The exercise (by CAG) was fraught with very serious errors which resulted in a kind of sensationalism which has allowed the Opposition to spread utter falsehood to the people of India and "we object to it," Sibal had said in a press conference last week.

Criticising the methodology adopted by CAG, the minister had said "The CAG has done injustice to itself and it should not have left the loss figures as presumptive that has embarrassed the government and the nation."

He said all operators have been given start-up 4.4 Mhz spectrum which comes bundled with licence and no charges paid for this frequency.

The minister had said no operator/licencee has been charged for the start-up spectrum of 4.4 Mhz, be it in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 or in 2008.

On the issue of ineligible firms getting licences and spectrum, the minister said the government will take action against erring telecom companies after the one-man committee gives its report.

"We have issued show cause notices to these firms. We have given them 60 days to respond. The one-man committee will hopefully give its report as soon as possible and then we will come to a conclusion," he said.

Comments

 

Other News

Saksham Skill census identifies 22,000 job-ready candidates in one Mumbai ward

A first-of-its-kind AI-enabled skill census conducted in Mumbai`s H-West Ward has identified a potential livelihood pipeline of nearly 22,000 candidates, generated over 32,000 provisional job matches while revealing that 71.2 per cent of surveyed homemakers are willing to join the workforce, according to

GI tags: Scaling traditional wealth into global brands

Geographical Indication (GI) tags have emerged as a powerful tool for protecting India`s cultural heritage, while creating economic opportunities for local communities. By linking products to their place of origin, GI tags preserve traditional knowledge, prevent misuse, and enhance consumer trust. They h

BMC: 207 officials in ACB net, 112 still on duty, 68 retire before justice catches up

There are significant delays in the handling of corruption cases involving officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by rights activist Jeetendra Ghadge has revealed. As of 30 April 2026, 207 BMC officials face Anti-Corruption Bureau (A

The transformation trap: Why efficiency is not innovation

Every company is transforming, or so it claims.   There was a time when the word ‘transformation’ carried weight. It signified bold strategic shifts, reinvention of business models, and breakthrough technologies that fundamentally changed how organizations created

The Sardar biography that throws light on our times

Patel: A Life By Rajmohan Gandhi Aleph Books, 568 pages, Rs 1,199   There are many biographi

Climate change, El Niño rewrite Indian monsoon

The month of July exceeded its rainfall target despite forecasts of a below-normal month under a strengthening El Niño. The reason could be that climate change is amplifying monsoon complexity: West Pacific warming, Western Disturbances and evolving ocean conditions increasingly interact with El Ni&

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter