Unions pledge support to govt's relief plan

New Delhi: Representatives of some employee unions and officer associations of BSNL and MTNL met Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday and offered their full support to the relief package, VRS and asset monetisation plans announced by the government recently, sources said.

It may be recalled that the government last month had approved a plum Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and giving VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.

The minister had on Friday (November 1) directed BSNL and MTNL to implement VRS guidelines quickly, and initiate proactive measures to monetise assets in a time-bound manner, while making it clear that they must become more aggressive in telecom market.