According to the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, in a written reply to Lok Sabha on July 23, 2025, there was no revenue loss to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) or the government. He noted that the recent estimates quoted in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) report were based on a misinterpretation of certain clauses. The CAG, in its report No. 01 of 2025 for the year ending March 2023, had flagged lapses in contractual compliance, planning, and billing, including a cumulative financial loss of Rs 19.44 billion by BSNL.
In response to Congress MP Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde’s question on whether BSNL failed to enforce the Master Service Agreement with Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), leading to a claimed loss of Rs 17.57 billion, the Minister did not address specifics. He instead clarified that BSNL has valid master service agreements (MSA) with RJIL for leasing BSNL’s tower infrastructure to install their equipment.
Regarding a separate question on BSNL’s alleged deviation from its Procurement Manual in acquiring oversized PIJF underground cables worth Rs 806.4 million that remain unutilised, the Minister responded that the procurement aligned with the applicable norms at the time.
To address such lapses and avoid future occurrences in BSNL and other public sector undertakings, the Minister said that corrective actions have been initiated. These include clarifying ambiguities in agreement clauses, monetising surplus inventory, issuing revised demands, and recovering dues.
Additionally, public sector undertakings have been instructed to process bills promptly and exercise greater caution in policy and business decisions.
