The Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informed Lok Sabha today, 10th March 2016, that BSNL has a debt of Rs. 7,666 crore and for MTNL a debt of Rs. 13,530 crore. He also mentioned that these debts have arisen due to the purchase of spectrum. BSNL was compelled to pay Rs. 18,500 crore for spectrum, both BWA and 3G Spectrum and MTNL Rs. 11,097 for the same spectrum. BSNL has returned the BWA spectrum, but the amount of more than Rs.6,600 crore is yet to be paid back by government. For purchasing the spectrum the PSUs took the above loans.
What the government should do is to refund the charges for spectrum which has been returned already by BSNL as also Rs. 1,250 crore from USOF which is pending payment for more than two years.