l3l8 hours
STATUTORY RESOLUTION RE:
DISAPPROVAL OF TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA ORDINANCE
AND
TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA
MR. DEPUTY-SPEAKER: We will now take up Item Nos. l8 and 19 together regarding the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Ordinance and the connected Bill.
Shri Girdharilal Bhargava.
SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
SHRI AMAR PAL SINGH (MEERUT):
SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
SHRI BENI PRASAD VERMA (KAISARGANJ):
SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
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SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
SHRI BENI PRASAD VERMA :
SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
SHRI GIRDHARI LAL BHARGAVA (JAIPUR):
SHRI K.P.SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): Sir, may I interrupt? Are you taking up the Government business or are you still on the Statutory Resolution? I want to move amendments to the Government business. When do I get a chance to move my amendments?
SHRI K.P.SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): Will you give me permission to move them now or at a later stage?
SHRI K.P.SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): Sir, if the Government business starts, then only I can move my amendments. I cannot move amendments to Shri Bhargava's Resolution.
COL. RAO RAM SINGH (MAHENDERGARH): Mr. Deputy-Speaker, Sir, communications is the basic infrastructure for the rapid development of any backward country, whether it be road communication, telecommunication, rail communication, air communication or waterways. President Kennedy once said that America has very good roads, not because America was rich, but on the contrary, America was rich because of the good roads that America have.
Therefore, what I mean to say is, basic infrastructure comes first and the prosperity will follow if the basic infrastructure is provided. In modern days, I think, telecommunication has become much more important than even road and rail communications, because information is the basis of all progress and development. In this respect, India is one of the most poorly serviced countries, perhaps, in the whole world. I will give only one statistics which will go to prove this fact. Upto 1992, in Thailand 2.4 people had telephones out of 100 persons, in Malaysia nine people had telephones out of 100 persons, in Japan, 44 people had telephones out of 100 persons, in United States, 54 people had telephones out of 100 persons and in India, only 0.6 people had telephone facilities out of 100 persons. This goes to show how much backwardness we have to make up, in order to catch up even with some of the developing and backward countries of the world today. As on 31st March, 1996, the waiting list for getting telephone connection was of the order of over 14 million persons. We are not only lagging behind in the number of telephones being installed, but the quality of service provided by the Department of Telecommunications is also worse.
Sir, there is an organisation known as the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. They have carried out a survey and reported that there was a very sharp deterioration in the quality of telecommunication services during the year 1994-95, in terms of the call success rate. It means that the number of calls that were originated and the number of calls which succeeded in achieving the object, that ratio was very poor indeed and the quality was deteriorating day by day.
Sir, there has been a transformation in the telecommunication services provided in the last two decades. There has been virtually a revolution in the quality and range of the services of telecommunication provided in the last two decades. Lately, we had a visitor, Mr. Bill Gate from America and I am sure all of our Members know it. Sir, we know the Internet and E-mail services that are being provided. I was travelling the other day by air and an American sitting next to me -- you will be surprised -- told me that for all transactions, there is no cheque system in America any more. If a payment has to be made for a telephone bill or an electricity bill or any financial transaction has to be made, then cheques are not issued. A message on E-mail or Internet is sent to the bank, they confirm it back and transaction is completed. You can imagine the amount of saving which will generate. Of course, it is a long way off. The introduction of Internet and E-mail will perhaps take a considerably long time. But it is a concept on which we have to start thinking now.
Sir, the last Government woke up very belatedly in 1994 and the National Telecom Policy was formulated and announced. One of the aims of this policy was providing ten million new connections by March, 1997. The other developmental reform announced under the National Telecom Policy of 1994 was the total financial involvement to the tune of Rs.60,000 crore. Now it is very easy to put it down on paper and say we will do this and we will do that. But it is not possible without providing the financial outlay for that. I think only the Government should be honest enough - of course, it is not this Government it was the last Government I am referring to - that whatever they have in the kitty, they should announce developmental plans only up to that level. Out of the ten million connections to be installed by 1997, I do not think even 50 per cent have been installed so far. As my previous colleague has said that out of those provided at the village level, the services are very poor. I think it was the last Government again which introduced the MARR equipment. I am not sure what it all stands for. This MARR equipment which I think provides wireless telephonic communication with the villages is not working even in a single village and the amount of money the Government has spent on that is something colossal. Perhaps not even 10 per cent of those phones are in working order today. The aerials are standing, the poles are standing in the villages and of them not even one is working. I would request the hon. Minister who is, I think, doing wonderful job, to go into this question and see what he could salvage from that. Whatever money has gone down the drain has gone down. But can you try to salvage something out of that? Those things are still standing. They are of no use to anybody. I do not know whether still we are on the MARR system or some new type of equipment has come. But certainly that equipment which was installed in the villages by the predecessor Government is certainly not of satisfactory nature. I can say that with experience and authority.
Then the National Telecom Policy of 1994 also envisaged the setting up of the Telecom Regulatory Authority for which the hon. Minister is piloting the Bill today.
The gates of liberalisation were also opened up by the announcement of the National Telecom Policy of 1994. But as was usual with the predecessor Government, it was quite a usual practice with them, they always place the cart before the horse ...
SHRI K.P. SINGH DEO (DHENKANAL): You should not forget that you were a distinguished Member of that Government.
COL. RAO RAM SINGH (MAHENDERGARH): I was a Member, but I cannot claim to have been a distinguished Member. I was certainly a Member. But I think I was treated more as an outcast in the Government than as a member of that Government. Of course, my distinguished colleague and myself, I think, we were of the same type together. He was treated as much of an outcast as I was treated.
What I meant by placing the cart before the horse is this. I will give you an example. After the robbers have entered the house, looted and taken away everything, then the house owner gets the watch-dog and says that next time he would not allow the robbers to enter because he has got two Alsatian dogs now lined up to catch the robbers.