A Raja promises continuity of IT, Telecom policies
17 May 2007
Telecom minister Andimuthu Raja has taken charge with an assurance that he won''t hang up on Maran''s policies, reports CNBC-TV. Raja chose to steer clear of contentious but has promised to ring in a rural telephony revolution.
It
didn''t take too long for Raja to get used to the media
glare. The bouquets were there and so were the bureaucrats.
Minutes after taking charge Raja made his priorities clear.
"My top priority will be rural telephony. It must
be ensured during my tenure," said Raja, who took
charge of IT and telecom on the resignation of Dayanidhi
Maran.
What would possibly come as a relief for the industry
is Raja''s assurance that there would be continuity of
the policies. Raja has promised to roll out the red carpet
for foreign investments in IT and telecom like his predecessor.
For the consumer, he will look into the possibility of
zero roaming charges. "My predecessor has announced
a lot of schemes in the past. I will give a final shape
to whatever is in the pipeline," Raja added.
But
Raja chose to keep mum on contentious issues like spectrum
allocation and the 3G policy. If his tenure at the Environment
Ministry is anything to go by, Raja will maintain a low
profile. His biggest challenge will be dealing with a
fractious industry and his skills, as a lawyer will sure
come handy!
Raja
has his task cut out. Industry will be breathing down
his neck for spectrum and consumers will be impatient
for more. He has to walk the tightrope and has little
time left to do that, before the next Parliamentary election
in 2008.
