DoT clears Rs 1,500 crore to BSNL, BBNL to pay dues to vendors

NEW DELHI: State-run companies— Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) have finally started to clear their outstanding to vendors and contractors for the mega BharatNet-II program following the release of Rs 1,500 crore worth of capital by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a Rs 50,000 crore strong reserve has released Rs 750 crore each to BSNL and BBNL, to make payments to their vendor-partners for deploying the fibre-based network.