Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad today said restoring investor confidence, improving quality of services (QoS) and establishing broadband highways will be the top priorities for the new telecom ministry.
The new telecom and IT minister has already directed the department to work on more details of this project.
“I want to assure all investors that the new government shall act in a transparent manner. The decision-making shall be fair based upon the twin objective of growth and consumer satisfaction. These are two broad decisions taken today,” he told reporters after assuming office.
Tuesday is the first day for his team in the office.
Also read: Ten suggestions to telecom and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ex-telecom minister Kapil Sibal lost during the recent elections to Harsh Wardhan of BJP. During the Congress regime, telecom sector received several regulatory support but 2G controversy and the Supreme Court order cancelling the 2G license dented the investor confidence.
The telecom department has been in the news for many wrong reasons and the first priority would be to set things right, he added.
“The way things happened in the past has dented investor confidence. We need to restore that. In the telecom industry, 100 percent FDI is allowed. Therefore, the 100 percent FDI must be quickened, must be helped to come to India under a transparent regime which is assured,” he said.
Prasad, who has taken presentations from all officers for two hours in order to understand things in detail, has asked his officers to consider some sort of softer regulatory mechanism that is stable.
“If regulations are softer, they generate confidence but as a minister I will ensure whatever regulations are there they are strictly followed,” he said.
Improving mobile access in areas like North East, extremism-infested areas, Ladakh, Andman and Nicobar and other rural areas, will be a focus area for the new government.
Deloitte Haskins & Sells on new telecom minister
The new telecom minister appears to have realized the power of telecom as a growth enabler and instrument to serve the masses which can add 15 percent to India GDP.
Hemant Joshi, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, said: “The new Government seems to have a strong vision for the telecom industry and want to portray a positive image nationally and internationally. The incoming telecom minister is in favor of transparent, clear and stable regulatory and legal regime for telecom industry in order to remove the uncertainty and policy paralysis masking the telecom sector.”
India desperately needs relaxed M&A policy to help in consolidation of the hyper competitive industry and to make investment friendly environment.
“We expect the new Government will fulfill the Broadband for all through fast implementation of broadband highways across the length and breadth of the country. This will lay ground for good e-Governance model as well as enable growth of other sectors such as healthcare, banking, education, etc.,” Joshi added.
TelecomLead News Team
