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"I requested the operators, the termination charge can come down by 2010 and accordingly tariffs can be reduced," the minister told reporters after meeting with CEOs of telecom companies.
He said the local call charges can come down to as low as 10 paise a minute and STD tariffs to just 25 paise per minute.
"I have also asked them to utilise optimally the USO fund to enhance telecom infrastructure in rural areas. Government is in process to simplify the rules for getting funds from the kitty," he said.
The government is having over Rs 16,000 crore in the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund, a kitty for subsidising rural operations.
He said increasing the rural teledensity was top priority of the government and the operators must go to rural India and set up telecom infrastructure there.
The government has set up a target of having 10 million broadband subscribers in rural areas in the next two years and asked the service providers to make efforts to meet the targets.
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Even after all these grave charges this fellow gives a damn and continues with his whatever. Even the PM is not bothered to explain. Right in public glare these people are raping the country financially. God save India.
Raja has set his next target which is the 16000 crores USO fund. Is there any guideline for handing out the funds? Since Raja is a prime suspect in the multimillion rupees spectrum scandal, how this money is being expended requires very careful scrutiny. DMK may be interested in raking a lot of money to face off congress in the next election in TN. Raja may look for every opportunity to fill up DMK's as well as his pockets within a short span of time. While privatization will bring competition and efficiency to the market place, in India it is being done not with the public in mind. Politicians like Raja make full use of privatization to enhance their wealth. There should be more public awareness in India to unmask the corrupt practices of people like Raja and others.