BSNL recieved Rs 13,322 crore government subsidies from 2002-03: Milind Deora

NEW DELHI: Subsidies worth over Rs 13,322 crore have been disbursed to state-run telecom firm BSNL from 2002-03 upto July 31, 2012 under various schemes of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), Minister of State for Telecommunications and IT Milind Deora today said.

"A subsidy of Rs 297.23 crore, Rs 197.30 crore, Rs 1,311.42 crore, Rs 1,744.41 crore, Rs 1,042.03 crore, Rs 814.84 crore and Rs 1,221.62 crore was disbursed to BSNL in the years 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09," Deora said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

He was responding to a query on whether USOF funds due to BSNL were disbursed to appropriate zones as per norms.

The disbursements for the following fiscals stood at Rs 2,009.06 crore (2009-10), Rs 3,001.70 crore (2010-11), Rs 1,634.62 crore (2011-12) and Rs 48.16 crore (2012-13 upto August 31), he added.

The USOF scheme was launched in 2007 to provide subsidy support for setting up and managing 7,871 infrastructure sites (telecom towers) in 500 districts, in specified rural and remote areas.

The amount of subsidy yet to be paid by USOF to BSNL stood at Rs 0.128 crore under the new VPT-II (Village Public Telephones) and Rs 0.504 crore (wireline broadband), Deora said.