According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, the government has deferred the merger of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) due to financial reasons, including high debt of the telcos.
However, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Prasad stated that close co-operation and service integration between BSNL and MTNL has been undertaken.
In October 2019, the Union Cabinet had approved the revival plan of BSNL and MTNL, including their merger that would help turn around the cash-strapped firms.
