Days
after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, appointed head of PNC and
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar as the chairman of the Empowered Group
of Ministers (EGoM) looking at the licensing and spectrum allocation in
the band 2G , Pawar wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today seeking to "recuse" himself.
"Attempts have been made in the past unnecessarily drag on the controversy over the 2G spectrum. These allegations are false and ill-motivated, which I firmly refuted," Pawar said in his letter. "Right now, I think my partnership in decision-making process as the president of EGoM in telecommunications will motivate the items created to try to get into the controversy."
The letter adds: "So I thought it would be appropriate for me to refuse the position of president of EGoM".
While the EGoM was scheduled to meet today, the meeting was adjourned without citing any reason.
Pawar decision comes at a time when the cabinet is scheduled to take a call on his meeting tomorrow on whether telecommunications companies will be charged for the "extra" to keep the spectrum above 4.4 MHz or whether this should be 6.2 MHz
Moreover, the Council of Ministers may also consider a proposal on whether the government should require telecommunications companies to pay for the entire spectrum have based on the price of the auction, with the reasoning that all businesses will have a field once thay have paid for the spectrum have been carried out for 20 years.
However, several telecommunications companies have opposed the proposals submitted by the telecommunications ministry. The Samajawadi Party games also have to present their objections to some of the proposals.
The issue has been hanging fire since early this year when the Supreme Court canceled all 122 telecommunications licenses granted when A Raja was the minister of telecommunications.
Pawar was accused of having links to the database sponsored by the Swan Telecom Group, which has been accused of receiving gifts for the allocation of 2G spectrum licenses during the reign of Raja.
"Attempts have been made in the past unnecessarily drag on the controversy over the 2G spectrum. These allegations are false and ill-motivated, which I firmly refuted," Pawar said in his letter. "Right now, I think my partnership in decision-making process as the president of EGoM in telecommunications will motivate the items created to try to get into the controversy."
The letter adds: "So I thought it would be appropriate for me to refuse the position of president of EGoM".
While the EGoM was scheduled to meet today, the meeting was adjourned without citing any reason.
Pawar decision comes at a time when the cabinet is scheduled to take a call on his meeting tomorrow on whether telecommunications companies will be charged for the "extra" to keep the spectrum above 4.4 MHz or whether this should be 6.2 MHz
Moreover, the Council of Ministers may also consider a proposal on whether the government should require telecommunications companies to pay for the entire spectrum have based on the price of the auction, with the reasoning that all businesses will have a field once thay have paid for the spectrum have been carried out for 20 years.
However, several telecommunications companies have opposed the proposals submitted by the telecommunications ministry. The Samajawadi Party games also have to present their objections to some of the proposals.
The issue has been hanging fire since early this year when the Supreme Court canceled all 122 telecommunications licenses granted when A Raja was the minister of telecommunications.
Pawar was accused of having links to the database sponsored by the Swan Telecom Group, which has been accused of receiving gifts for the allocation of 2G spectrum licenses during the reign of Raja.
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