The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOT and BSNL for the year 2014-15 has been signed on 27th March 2014, four days before the start of the New Financial year. The targets are moderate and seems to be practicable.
The Very Good Financial Targets for the year 2014-15 is as below:
Sales Turnover : Rs. 29,000 crores
Gross Operating Margin : Rs. 1,180 Crores

In addition the targets for Finalization of policy for organisational restructuring and implementation during the year and other parameters also have been noted. One of these is the Formulation of subsidiary of BSNL Tower Assets with a target date of 31-12-2014. As far as the workers are concerned, they are strongly opposing the formation of a subsidiary company, which is unnecessary and against the interest of BSNL.

On the CAPEX for Capacity Expansion, it has been given a target of additional 100 lakh lines of GSM, OFC of additional 20,000 Route Kms, Replacement of Wireline Exchanges by NGN with 5 lakh Customer migrations etc. Since no dates have been fixed the target date may be 31-03-2015.

Completion of ongoing Projects include the laying of OFC for Defence project (Network for Spectrum) to lay 40,000 Route Kms of Cable, National Optic fibre Network (NOFN) to connect 73,500 Gram Panchayats and also commissioning of 1,200 GSM BTSs.

Targets have been fixed for Productivity and Internal Process, Human Resource Management, Sector Enterprise Specific Parameters including net addition in GSM Mobile Connections (100 lAKH), Broadband Connections( 30 lakhs) implementation of ERP ( 10 Circle) etc.

The Rs. 29,000 crore Revenue Targets have been distributed among the following Verticals: Consumer Fixed Assets (Rs. 12,500 crores), Consumer Mobility ( Rs.13,500 crores) Enterprise Business (Rs. 3,600 crores) and New business ( Rs. 300 crores).

As usual all other conditions of submitting Quarterly Report to the DOT, Annual report to the DPE etc. are mentioned.

The Memorandum of Understanding are signed every year as usual. But what is the fulfilment of the Targets and parameters? According to our information, which may be incorrect also,most of these targets and parameters are never completed. Have they been fulfilled, whether the company, BSNL would have gone in to loss?

In fact, the OFC Project for Defence (NFS) and NOFN would have been finished much earlier according to the earlier Project formulation. The same with the Towers in the naxalite area.

What is plaguing the BSNL is the projects are never fulfilled. These are known to the management, but are never discussed with the 2,50,000 workforce who are also much interested in the better future of the company.

With such a large workforce, with more than 50,000 well trained technical executives and about two lakh committed workers, why the Management is unable to reach the targets fixed after much discussion and planning. There is a certain inertia somewhere in the lines. There is a casual attitude some where. This has got to be changed. Instead of sitting in the office, the majority of the executives and non-executives should be in the field.

Take the workforce also in to confidence in executing and fulfilling the targets. ITS, Executive or Non-Executive – all should realise that unless one’s full energy and effort is not utilised in expansion, development and service, it is difficult for BSNL to survive, leave alone improving.

Our demand to the BSNL Management is to make a detailed Plan for fulfilling the targets, take the workers and their unions /associations in to confidence, discuss with them how to implement the plans even before target dates and then move in to action.Is the BSNL Management capable of doing this exercise ? If so, well and good. However, the workers are determined to ensure that the company survives, strengthens and provide a better service to the nation. And certainly they have to ensure that the Management functions as it should be.

A united and joint effort is sure to win. The people of the country prefer BSNL to any other private telecom provider, because they know that it is not the profit motive that moves BSNL, but the service-motive.

Let Us March Ahead to Provide a Better Service to the Nation!