New Delhi, March 12 The CAG's estimate that the government has suffered revenue loss due to the non-implementation of an agreement with Reliance Jio was based on a misinterpretation of a clause, and the error has now been rectified, according to Minister of State for Telecom, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, on Thursday.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had, in a report last year, stated that the state-run firm BSNL failed to enforce the master service agreement (MSA) with Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) and did not bill for the additional technology used on BSNL's shared passive infrastructure, resulting in a loss of ₹1,757.76 crore and associated penalties, between May 2014 and March 2024 to the government exchequer.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that BSNL has an MSA with RJIL for leasing of BSNL's tower infrastructure for the installation of their equipment.
"There is no revenue loss for BSNL and the government. The CAG's estimate was based on the misinterpretation of the clause regarding add-on technology, which has now been rectified in a transparent and equitable manner. BSNL has since raised revised invoices from RJIL," Pemmasani said.
The minister's actions are aimed at recovering losses, resolving ambiguities in agreement clauses, monetizing surplus inventory, issuing revised demands, and preventing future lapses in BSNL's operations.
"Furthermore, PSUs have been advised to process bills promptly and exercise extra caution when making policy/business decisions," he added.