Centre to write off ITI's loan

Rs 2,820 cr due to the govt will be waived off

For loss-making public sector unit ITI Ltd, this is very good news. The Centre plans to write off Rs 2,820 crore worth of loan it gave to the company.

This was disclosed here on Tuesday by Telecom Commission Chairman & Telecom Department Secretary Siddhartha Behura briefing reporters after the launch of ITI data centre. “ITI had virtual monopoly on the telcom market in the country. But now that the company is making losses, it is the responsibilty of the government to bring it back to health,” he said.

Various options

The government has an open and flexibile vision regarding revival of ITI. It plans to appoint a consultant to study the various needs and ways to rejuvenate the shrinking revenue of ITI. “We have to diversify our focus, it is important for ITI to create more avenues of works,” he added.

ITI also plans to bring in a PPP model where private partners can invest.  It plans to revive each units sepeartely with different partners rather than going as a unified organisation. “We have land availabile with us, for most companies land is the crucial problem and we plan to use this for the joint development through which both parties will benefit,” ITI Chairman & Managing Director S K Chatterjee said.  “We are also looking into e-governance space, the Palakkad unit  has already started work for the  recently launched Unique Identification project for various coastal parts of south India.”


ITI-Trimax set up data centre in City

Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), in association with Mumbai-based Trimax launched its first data centre in Bangalore on Tuesday. The facility built in public private partnership model (PPP), will provide customer centric services to the government as well as private sector, reports DHNS from Bangalore. 

Built on a revenue sharing model, ITI will have share of 18 per cent and Trimax 82 per cent from the revemnue. Trimax has invested Rs 77 crore in the first phase and plans to plough in Rs 200 crore for the development of 2nd and 3rd phase.  It will offer a wide range of services.