New Delhi, Mar 6 () State-owned telecom firm BSNL's loss swelled by over 2.5 times to Rs 39,089 crore during the April-December 2019 period, Minister of State for Telecommunications Sanjay Dhotre has informed Parliament. The public sector telecom firm had recorded a loss of Rs 14,904 crore in the previous financial year 2018-19. "BSNL has informed that its total accumulated loss during the current financial year i.e. 2019-20 (upto December 31, 2019) is Rs 39,089 crore," Dhotre said in a written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The government on October 23 last year approved a Rs 68,751-crore revival package for loss-making BSNL and MTNL, including 4G spectrum allocation and voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). The Union Cabinet also approved merger of the state-owned telecom firms and till the completion of the process, MTNL will operate as a subsidiary of BSNL, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here while sharing details of the revival package. The package includes raising of Rs 15,000 crore sovereign bonds to meet the immediate capital requirement of both the companies, 4G spectrum allocation worth Rs 20,140 crore; Rs 29,937 crore for VRS covering 50 per cent of their employees; and Rs 3,674 crore for goods and services tax that will be levied on allocation of radiowaves. Over 78,300 BSNL employees and 14,378 at MTNL have opted for VRS which is expected to significantly reduce financial burden from both the companies. PRS HRS

BSNL loss widens over 2.5 times to Rs 39,000 cr in Apr-Dec

New Delhi, Dec 28 () A seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) has been constituted to fast-track and oversee the implementation of the Rs 69,000 crore revival plan for state-owned telecom corporations BSNL and MTNL, sources said.
 The high-level group will expedite smooth implementation of recent decisions taken on revival of BSNL and MTNL that includes crucial elements like allocation of 4G spectrum and asset monetisation, official sources told .
 The GoM includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, they added.
 "There are crucial elements like business viability, workforce, issue of bonds, monetisation and 4G spectrum allotment in the revival package. The GoM will expedite and oversee the plans," the sources said.
 In October this year, the government had approved a Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
 The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the plan to combine Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) -- which provides services in Mumbai and New Delhi -- with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) that services the rest of the nation.
 Over the last few weeks both the companies launched their Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) plans. Nearly 92,700 employees of BSNL and MTNL have opted for voluntary retirement, which is expected to save about Rs 8,800 crore annually in salary bills for the debt-laden telecom companies.
 The two firms will also monetise assets worth Rs 37,500 crore in the next three years.
 MTNL has reported losses in nine of the past 10 years and BSNL too has been ringing in losses since 2010. MBI ABM
ABM

GoM constituted to expedite implementation of Rs 69,000 cr revival plan of BSNL, MTNL: Sources

New Delhi, Jan 1 () State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has initiated discussions with the Central Board of Secondary Education and others for sale of specific land parcels, as it sets the ball rolling on asset monetisation plans that could yield Rs 300 crore this fiscal, according to a senior government official.
 Moreover, the Telecom Department has sounded out Ministry of Finance about BSNL's plans to issue sovereign guarantee bonds, and these could be floated as early as February, once the requisite approvals come in.
 A senior official of Department of Telecom (DoT) said that Voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) plans rolled out by both BSNL and MTNL have been highly successful and will help reduce BSNL's wage bill by 50 per cent and MTNL's by 75 per cent.
 "They will be given sovereign guarantee for raising bonds of over Rs 15,000 crore. We have already written to Finance Ministry and as soon as they give us their clearance... because they have some issue of guarantee space... we will do it. So we hope to do it in January or February if the approvals come in by then," the DoT official said.
 The proceeds will be used towards retirement of debt and partly for capex.
 On asset monetisation plans, the official said certain assets had already been identified and one meeting with Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has already taken place.
 "Already one meeting has taken place on which assets can be taken up for sale immediately and all efforts are being made to expedite it," the official said.
 Besides this, BSNL on its own is in negotiation with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and others for sale of some land.
 Overall the asset monetisation plans may yield about Rs 300 crore in the current financial year itself, the official said.
 It may be recalled that BSNL Chairman P K Purwar had recently stated that the corporation has cleared Rs 1,700 crore of vendors dues.
 BSNL has also made salary payment to its employees for the month of November.
 Overall, the outstanding to creditors is Rs 10,000 crore.
 In October this year, the government approved a Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
 The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved a plan to combine Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd - which provides services in Mumbai and New Delhi - with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd that services the rest of the nation.
 Over the last few weeks both the companies launched theirs VRS plans and thousands of employees of BSNL and MTNL have opted for voluntary retirement, which is expected to save about Rs 8,800 crore annually in salary bills for the debt-laden telecom companies.
 The two firms will also monetise assets worth Rs 37,500 crore in the next three years.
 MTNL has reported losses in nine of the past 10 years and BSNL too has been ringing in loss since 2010. MBI DRR

BSNL in talks with CBSE for sale of land parcels; eyes Rs 300 cr from asset monetisation in FY20

New Delhi, Nov 22 () A clutch of Indian vendors of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Friday sought the telecom department's intervention for release of outstanding dues of nearly Rs 1,600 crore, pertaining to Bharat Net II project.
 These companies, which have sought intervention of Department of Telecom (DoT) Secretary Anshu Prakash, said they are "deeply troubled" over non-payment of dues and sought immediate release of outstanding payments.
 The companies that have approached the DoT flagging their concerns on pending dues include Sterlite, Tejas, Paramount Wires And Cables Ltd (PWCL), Aksh Optifibre, Finolex among others, and the dues run into Rs 1,600 crore, said Sandeep Aggarwal, Managing Director of Paramount Communications.
 "The dues are towards supply of cable, electronics and pipes and are linked to Bharat Net II project," Aggarwal, who is also the Chairman of Telecom Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told reporters.
 The Union Cabinet had, last month, approved a plan to combine MTNL - which provides services in Mumbai and New Delhi - with BSNL that services the rest of the nation.
 It also approved a Rs 69,000-crore revival package, including monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees.
 The package includes infusion of Rs 20,140 crore for purchase of 4G spectrum, Rs 3,674 crore for GST to be paid on spectrum allocation, companies raising Rs 15,000 crore in debt on the sovereign guarantee and government funding Rs 17,160 crore VRS and another Rs 12,768 crore towards retirement liability.
 The two firms will also monetise assets worth Rs 37,500 crore in the next three years. MTNL has reported losses in nine of the past 10 years and BSNL too has been ringing in loss since 2010. The total debt on both companies stood at Rs 40,000 crore, of which half of the liability is on MTNL alone. MBI MBI ANU
ANU

BSNL vendors seek DoT intervention over Rs 1,600 cr dues linked to Bharat Net 2

New Delhi, Jan 9 () State-owned MTNL on Thursday said that it has received shareholders' approval for raising up to Rs 6,500 crore through issuance of non-convertible debentures as well as for monetisation of land and buildings.
 During the extraordinary general meeting of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) which was held on Wednesday, 99.89 votes were cast in favour of the issuance of "guaranteed, unsecured, listed, redeemable non-convertible debentures in the nature of bonds (NCDs), in one or more series/tranches, aggregating up to Rs 6,500 crore on private placement basis," MTNL said in a filing to BSE.
 The company further said that majority votes were cast in favour of the monetisation of land and buildings as specified/ identified by its board in line with the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) guidelines and as per revival plan of the company approved by the Union Cabinet recently.
 It added that majority votes were polled in favour of monetisation of towers and fiber assets including leasing, after considering the market conditions with an aim to maximise returns as per the revival plan of the company, and non-convertible redeemable non-cumulative preference shares on a private placement basis to the government towards payment of 4G spectrum cost.
 The government had earlier approved a Rs 69,000-crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that included merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
 The companies have already announced VRS schemes. As per official estimates, 78,569 employees of BSNL and 14,387 employees of MTNL have opted for VRS. SID ANS
ANS
ANS

MTNL shareholders approve Rs 6,500-cr NCD issue, monetisation of land and buildings

New Delhi, Jan 9 () State-owned MTNL on Thursday said that it has received shareholders' approval for raising up to Rs 6,500 crore through issuance of non-convertible debentures as well as for monetisation of land and buildings.
 During the extraordinary general meeting of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) which was held on Wednesday, 99.89 votes were cast in favour of the issuance of "guaranteed, unsecured, listed, redeemable non-convertible debentures in the nature of bonds (NCDs), in one or more series/tranches, aggregating up to Rs 6,500 crore on private placement basis," MTNL said in a filing to BSE.
 The company further said that majority votes were cast in favour of the monetisation of land and buildings as specified/ identified by its board in line with the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) guidelines and as per revival plan of the company approved by the Union Cabinet recently.
 It added that majority votes were polled in favour of monetisation of towers and fiber assets including leasing, after considering the market conditions with an aim to maximise returns as per the revival plan of the company, and non-convertible redeemable non-cumulative preference shares on a private placement basis to the government towards payment of 4G spectrum cost.
 The government had earlier approved a Rs 69,000-crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that included merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
 The companies have already announced VRS schemes. As per official estimates, 78,569 employees of BSNL and 14,387 employees of MTNL have opted for VRS. SID ANS
ANS

MTNL shareholders' approve Rs 6,500-cr NCD issue, monetisation of land and buildings

New Delhi, Mar 24 () The Department of Telecom on Tuesday reached out to state governments over difficulties faced by personnel of service operators in their movements due to lockdowns imposed by authorities to contain coronavirus outbreak. Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash in a letter to chief secretaries of state and advisors to administrators of union territories has noted that telecom infrastructure is critical for maintaining communication, use of broadband, encouraging e-commerce and facilitating work from home during the ongoing restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus. While telecom services have been listed within the essential services, employees maintaining the network and managing operations have complained of facing problem in their movement. "Instances are being reported where the local authorities have asked the personnel of the telecom service providers at network operation centres and call centres to shut down operations in the view of the restrictions. "Hence, it will be necessary that instructions reach the field level to permit personnel maintaining and providing telecom services to continue their work without interruption," the letter said. Employees of all organisations, that do not fall under list essential services, have been asked to work from home for business continuity using their phone and broadband connections. Prakash has requested to state governments and UT administration designate nodal officer with the name and phone number who can be contacted by the telecom operators and internet companies in the event of any difficulty. Telecom companies like Reliance Jio have announced free broadband service to new customers and doubled data limit for all existing customers to support work from home in fight against coronavirus. State-owned telecom companies BSNL and MTNL took lead last week to announce free broadband plans and additional data for their customers to support work from home. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has written to its competitors Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and MTNL for a roaming agreement to facilitate uninterrupted services to support work from home offered by almost all entities in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. PRS MRMR

DoT writes to states to permit working of telecom personnel

New Delhi, Dec 12 () Following are the top business stories at 1827 hours:

DEL79 BIZ-INFLATION-RETAIL
Retail inflation shoots up to over 3-year high of 5.54 pc in Nov
New Delhi: Retail inflation rose significantly to over three-year high of 5.54 per cent in November, mainly on account of higher food prices.
 
DEL78 BIZ-INDUSTRY-OUTPUT-DECLINE
Industrial production declines by 3.8 pc in October
New Delhi: Industrial production shrank by 3.8 per cent in October, mainly due to poor performance by power, mining and manufacturing sectors, according to official data released on Thursday.
 
DCM27 BIZ-TRAI-FLOOR PRICE 
Looking at telecom industry demand to fix floor price: Trai
New Delhi: Telecom sector regulator Trai on Thursday dropped broad hints that it may be open to the idea of setting a minimum tariff for calls and data to ensure viability of the sector. 
 
DEL70 BIZ-LD-STOCKS
Sensex rises 169 points as banking, metal stocks advance
Mumbai: Market benchmark Sensex on Thursday rose by 169 points on the back of gains in banking and metal stocks amid positive global trends after the US Federal Reserve signalled no change in interest rates throughout next year. 
 
DEL65 RS-BSNL-SALARIES
Paying salaries to BSNL employees govt's priority: Dhotre 
New Delhi: The government's priority is to pay the outstanding salaries of BSNL employees and contract workers once the condition of the debt-laden firm improves, Union minister Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. 
 
DEL81 BIZ-LD RUPEE
Rupee pares early gains to settle marginally up at 70.83 vs US dollar
Mumbai: The rupee pared most of its early gains and settled marginally up at 70.83 against the US currency on Thursday due to forex outflows amid growth concerns and uncertainty over the imposition of higher US tariffs on Chinese goods. 
 
DCM14 RSQ-CYBERSECURITY
3.13 lakh cyber security incidents reported till October this year
New Delhi: More than 3.13 lakh cyber security incidents were reported in India this year up to October, Parliament was informed on Thursday. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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SHW

Business highlights

Port Blair, Apr 20 () One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Monday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 16, officials said.The new patient is a colleague of a government employee, a resident of the Bambooflat area in South Andaman, who tested positive for the infection last week, said Avijit Roy, the nodal officer of the disease here.The total number of active cases in the Union Territory is five at present with reporting of the new case, he added.Three family members of the 49-year-old government employee, including his wife, tested positive over the past two days. They are all undergoing treatment at the GB Pant Hospital here.South Andaman has been declared a clustural hotspot zone, officials said.The other eleven persons have already recovered. Ten of them are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, while the other patient travelled with them in the same flight from Kolkata to Port Blair.Meanwhile, state-run BSNL is set to operationalise high- speed internet service in Port Blair to help students, who are attending online sessions of their course work, besides aiding the public amid the lockdown, officials said. Nicobar district Deputy Commissioner Monika Priyadarshini said the local tribes are making 10,000 masks to aid the fight against the virus. CORR SOM TDSTDS

Coronavirus: 1 more tests positive, total cases climb to 16 in Andaman and Nicobar

New Delhi, Dec 11 () State-owned MTNL on Wednesday said it will seek shareholders' nod for monetisation of land and buildings as well as for raising up to Rs 6,500 crore through non-convertible debentures (NCDs).
 Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) said the company's extraordinary general meeting will be held on January 8, 2020, in this regard.
 The company would seek shareholders' approval for issue of non-convertible redeemable non-cumulative preference shares (NCRNCPS) on a private placement basis to the government towards payment of 4G spectrum cost.
 "...approval of the members be and is hereby accorded to authorise the board...to offer or invite or invite subscriptions for government guaranteed, unsecured, listed, redeemable non-convertible debentures in the nature of bonds (NCDs), in one or more series / tranches, aggregating up to Rs 6500 crores on private placement basis..." it said.
 Approval is also being sought for monetisation of land and buildings as specified/ identified by its board in line with the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) guidelines and as per revival plan of the company approved by the Union Cabinet recently.
 The consent of the shareholders is also being sought for opening of an escrow account for "ring-fencing the proceeds from monetisation of assets for use by the company under revival/restructuring plan".
 Another item pertains to monetisation of towers and fiber assets, including leasing, after considering the market conditions with an aim to "maximise returns as per the revival plan of the company".
 MTNL plans to issue non-convertible redeemable non-cumulative preference shares (NCRNCPS) on a private placement basis to the government towards the payment of spectrum cost of 4G. This entails allotment of up to 62.95 crore preference shares of a face value of Rs 100 each fully paid-up at par at an issue price of Rs 100 aggregating to Rs 6,295 crore.
 The government recently approved a Rs 69,000-crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
 The companies have already announced VRS schemes and as per official estimates, 78,569 employees of BSNL and 14,387 employees of MTNL have opted for VRS. MBI HRS

MTNL seeks shareholders' nod for fundraising, monetisation of land & buildings

New Delhi, Nov 21 () Following are the top business stories at 1820 hours:

DEL76 BIZ-PM-AUDIT
PM asks CAG to develop innovative methods to check frauds in govt departments
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked auditor CAG to develop technical tools to check fraud in government departments and play a role in making India a 5 trillion economy.
 
DCM20 BIZ-RSQ-IT RULES-SOCIAL MEDIA
Govt finalising new IT rules for social media entailing traceability of info originator
New Delhi: The government is finalising new IT rules for social media companies that would mandate traceability of originator of information on such platforms and removal of malicious content within 24 hours of notice, Parliament was informed on Thursday. 

BCM8 BIZ-LD-BANKS-DHARNA
Bank unions to stage sit-in before Parliament on Dec 10
Mumbai:Thousands of employees of various state-run banks are planning to stage a sit-in on December 10 in front of the Parliament to protest against the government's mega merger plan of public sector banks. 
 
DEL63 BIZ-LD STOCKS
Stocks slip as divestment drive fails to offset global woes; Tata Steel drops 3.35 pc
Mumbai: Equity indices slipped into the red on Thursday as the government's latest reforms push failed to stem profit-booking amid the protracted US-China tensions.
 
DEL75 BIZ-RUPEE-LD CLOSE
Rupee rises 5 paise to 71.76 per USD
Mumbai: The rupee pared initial losses to settle 5 paise up at 71.76 against the US dollar on Thursday on robust foreign fund inflows and softening crude oil prices.

DEL71 BIZ-FINMIN-LOANS
PSU banks disburse Rs 2.52 lakh cr loans in Oct
New Delhi: Public sector banks disbursed a record Rs 2.52 lakh crore of loans during the festive month of October, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. 
 
DCM16 BIZ-LSQ-BSNL
BSNL 'number portability' positive so far in FY20; more users joining network than leaving: Prasad
New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has said that the number of customers moving into its network is higher than those leaving it, making its mobile number portability (MNP) positive during 2019-20 so far, Parliament was informed on Thursday. 

 
 
 
 
 
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New Delhi, Dec 19 () Trade unions urged the government to provide minimum wage of Rs 21,000, minimum pension of Rs 6,000 under Employees' Pension Scheme and tax exemption on annual income of up to Rs 10 lakh in a pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.
The unions have also raised concerns over rising unemployment in the country, saying "employment generation has nose-dived in recent period".
During the meeting, they suggested that massive public investment in infrastructure, social sectors and agriculture would generate employment and the Union Budget should give it a priority and allocate necessary funds for this.
They demanded that all vacant sanctioned posts in various government departments, including railways, PSUs and autonomous institutions, should be filled through fresh recruitment.
They also suggested the finance minister that ban on creation of new positions and mandatory reduction of government posts should be lifted.
They noted that denial of level playing field to many PSUs ( BSNL, MTNL, ITI etc) had put thousands of jobs in jeopardy.
The unions also pointed out that the merger of BSNL-MTNL and voluntary retirement (which is actually forced retirement) of almost 79,000 workers is just opposed to the idea of job creation.
Lodging their protest against fixed term employment (FTE), the unions said the provision of FTE should be done away with, and concerned notification should be rescinded forthwith.
They also raised the issue of prise rise saying that the government should ban speculative forward trading in essential commodities and take steps to curtail hoardings along with strengthening public distribution system. 
On disinvestments and strategic sale of public sector units, they said that budgetary support should be provided for the revival of potentially viable sick PSUs.
It also suggested that the finance minister to refrain from strategic sale of viable PSUs in core sectors like steel, coal, mining, heavy engineering, pharmaceuticals, dredging, civil aviation, financial institution, among others.
Under the strategic sale, the government becomes minority stakeholder by reducing its share below 50 per cent of total equity.
The union have asked to extend the rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA to urban areas also and enhance minimum employment guarantee to 200 days in a year.
They also lodged protest against foreign direct investment in crucial sectors, saying FDI should not be allowed in railways, defence production, financial sector, retail trade etc.
Trade unions also suggested to stop the labour law amendments that curtail the basic and trade union rights of workers and provide unhindered 'hire &amp; fire' facilities to employers.
They also demanded that the threshold limit for coverage of establishments under the retirement fund body EPFO should be reduced to 10 workers from 20 at present.
Gratuity should be calculated on 30 days wages instead of 15 days of wages per completed year of service without any ceiling, they said.
The government should not make Aadhaar linking mandatory, the unions added.
On the income tax exemption, they urged that the ceiling for income tax for salaried persons and pensioners should be raised to Rs 10 lakh per year.
Besides, they also demanded that income tax ceiling for senior citizens should be raised to Rs 8 lakh.
All perks and fringe benefits like housing, medical and education facilities and running allowances in railways should be exempted from income tax net totally, they said.
"During the course of meeting, representatives of Trade Unions and Labour Organisations shared their views and suggestions regarding labour and employment issues. Discussions were held on skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling of existing labour force. Quality of job creation and ensuring minimum wages of workers were discussed," a finance ministry statement said.
It also stated that during the meeting, representatives of trade unions and labour organisations shared their views and suggestions regarding job creation, labour concerns and quality of employment issues.
They also emphasised quality of job creation and ensuring minimum wages of workers in detail besides the need for streamlining various schemes to have better results, it added.
Along with the finance minister, the meeting was attended by Anurag Singh, Thakur, Minister of State for Finance &amp; Corporate Affairs, Rajeev Kumar and top officials of labour and finance ministries. KKS BAL

TUs urges FM to hike income tax ceiling, minimum wages, pension

New Delhi, Dec 20 () RSS-affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on Friday expressed concern over disinvestment of public sector units, saying "pro-privatisation lobby has painted all the PSUs as inefficient", which is false.
 "BMS expresses its anguish on the way in which government is selling public sector enterprises in India. PSUs in India had played a historical role in contributing to our economy. Even now it is playing its role well," it said in a statement.
 "Unfortunately, the pro-privatisation lobby painted all the PSUs as inefficient. It is also making false propaganda that the entire PSU sector is in loss, which is utterly false. PSUs performed well," it added.
 The National Convention of CPSUs Employees, under the Public Sector Coordination Committee of BMS, on Friday decided that a day-long 'Save PSUs, Save Nation' dharna will be held at all district headquarters on January 3, 2020.
 After holding the protest, the BMS will wait for government action till the Budget session of parliament and then decide on the next course of action, it said.
 According to the statement, in 2017-18 the overall profit of the CPSUs was Rs 1,28,374 crore, and they paid Rs 76,578 crore as a dividend. Statistics reveal that jobs created by PSUs is more than that by the private sector.
 "The Government is killing the duck that lays golden egg. Previously Planning Commission has played a great role in defining the role of each and every sector in India, including public, private sectors and thus tried to shape India's future," it said, adding that after NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission, all such serious exercises were stopped and it is working "merely as an agent to facilitate strategic sale".
 The Convention demanded that the central government should immediately stop its "lopsided Policies against PSUs on Privatisation, Disinvestment, Strategic Sale of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPUs), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Merger of Banking and Insurance Sectors, Corporatisation of Railways, Defense Production Units, and PLI in Postal."
 However, it appreciated the government's decision on revival of BSNL - MTNL.
 The union also demanded starting wage negotiations, clearing salary/wages/retirement benefits and reviving sick PSUs.
 The government should withdraw the huge spending on unnecessary corporate concessions, it added.
 "This process (disinvestment) got aggravated from the time when reforms were initiated in 1991 by Dr Manmohan Singh," it said. KKS ABM

BMS opposes divestment of govt stake in PSUs, to protest on Jan 3 across India

<ul><li>As India works from home, <keyword id="6383126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="telcos">telcos</keyword> have experienced a 10% increase in mobile internet usage.</li><li>To reduce stress on mobile networks, COAI asked streaming services to reduce streaming quality from HD to SD.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=coronavirus&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Follow the comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact, and other useful resources that can help you in the fight on Business Insider India</a>.</li></ul>Any given day, a typical home in India during the lockdown there are three sets of heavy <keyword id="128628" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet-users">internet users</keyword> -- at least two adults connecting to office servers on cloud; children even as young as five attending ‘remote’ classes online and then there are those who are relatively jobeless - mostly teenagers - live streaming shows and songs. While their troubles are not as deep as that of medical staff, even internet service providers are struggling to keep up with the excess demand. While a fairly decent broadband connection can handle most of this traffic, few Indians care to subscribe for fixed broadband as they continue to rely on mobile internet. Now, they are stumped. Internet speeds might not last say experts In fact only 19 million homes have fixed broadband connection as compared to over 630 million who have 4G/3G users. This lopsided ratio is now hurting telcos. While broadband companies across the country <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/covid-19-internet-service-providers-see-demand-for-new-broadband-connections-high-speed-plans/74711384">reported</a> an increase in the demand for new installations thanks to many offers by BSNL and others. But they might be too little too late. The current lockdown and possible curfews will prevent any new installations right away. However, Indian telcos remained resilient in times of stress and maintained download speeds, according to Ookla’s Speed Test index. This might not last for long as India entered into a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-goes-into-a-complete-lockdown-in-30-states-and-union-territories/articleshow/74782275.cms">complete lockdown</a> only today, say experts . Internet usage increased by 10% According to a report by the Bank of America Securities, there has been a 10% increase in internet usage. A lot of companies asked their employees to <keyword id="123591" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Work-from-home">work from home</keyword> due to Coronavirus. That includes large companies like Infosys and TCS that employ over 4 million. A direct impact of people ‘working from home’ is the need to connect to a virtual private network (VPN) to access office apps. Given the way VPN works, there is a noticeable degradation in speeds. This, combined with the already congested 4G networks and reduced speeds means that the overall experience can be frustrating. IT as an essential service In the meanwhile, global giants like UBS Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG and more are working with trade bodies like Nasscom to convince the government to grant essential services tag to IT companies. This will allow some of their employees to go to office and access databases with reliable high-speed internet. Keshav Murugesh, in an interview with <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/worlds-back-office-scrambles-to-stay-online-as-india-locks-down/articleshow/74781330.cms">ET</a> said, “Moving millions of desktops to employees’ homes, configuring software to allow for slower bandwidth and ensuring cybersecurity - it’s a mind-boggling physical and logistical exercise that our companies are in the midst of right now.” Netflix, Amazon Prime movie to reduce telco stress While work needs to go on, the telecom industry body (COAI) urged the streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, YouTube and others to initiate measures that will ease pressure on their networks. And, they have complied. “Given the crisis, we've developed a way to reduce Netflix's traffic on telecom networks by 25 percent while also maintaining the quality of our service,” Netflix’s VP (Content Delivery) Ken Florance said, according to a PTI report. Amazon Prime Video said that it is working to “reduce streaming bitrates whilst maintaining a quality streaming experience for the customers.” See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-goes-into-a-complete-lockdown-in-30-states-and-union-territories/articleshow/74782275.cms">India goes into a complete lockdown in 30 states and union territories</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-can-double-coronavirus-test-kits-to-200000-in-a-week-thanks-to-pune-based-mylabs/articleshow/74787231.cms">India can double coronavirus test kits to 200,000 in a week, thanks to Pune-based Mylabs</a>

You Searched For "bsnl employee union" and got 14 results

BSNL loss widens over 2.5 times to Rs 39,000 cr in Apr-Dec

PTI

GoM constituted to expedite implementation of Rs 69,000 cr revival plan of BSNL, MTNL: Sources

PTI

BSNL in talks with CBSE for sale of land parcels; eyes Rs 300 cr from asset monetisation in FY20

PTI

BSNL vendors seek DoT intervention over Rs 1,600 cr dues linked to Bharat Net 2

PTI

MTNL shareholders approve Rs 6,500-cr NCD issue, monetisation of land and buildings

PTI

MTNL shareholders' approve Rs 6,500-cr NCD issue, monetisation of land and buildings

PTI

DoT writes to states to permit working of telecom personnel

PTI

Business highlights

PTI

Coronavirus: 1 more tests positive, total cases climb to 16 in Andaman and Nicobar

PTI

MTNL seeks shareholders' nod for fundraising, monetisation of land & buildings

PTI

Business highlights

PTI

TUs urges FM to hike income tax ceiling, minimum wages, pension

PTI

BMS opposes divestment of govt stake in PSUs, to protest on Jan 3 across India

PTI

As India works from home, telcos struggle to maintain speeds and service

Rounak Jain