Committee of secretaries on telecom relief package disbanded: Report

NEW DELHI: The committee of secretaries (CoS), which was constituted last month to explore a financial bailout package for the telecom sector, has been disbanded, according to a government source. On the issue of applicability of the Supreme Court’s AGR ruling on other service providers like ISPs, the source said while these cases were separate and such players were not party to the cases, they still have obligation to pay their statutory dues.
Asked if the CoS has been disbanded now, the source replied in affirmative.
On whether a new inter-ministerial panel could be constituted for ironing out other outstanding issues, the source said, “No, it is a SC defined matter”.
In October, the government had constituted a committee of secretaries (CoS) – headed by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba – to explore a financial bailout package for the telecom sector.