Prashant Bhushan sees “conflict of interest” in appointment
The Union government on Friday appointed Home Minister P. Chidambaram the chairman of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on spectrum, which has a daunting task to accomplish in a matter of days.
With this, Mr. Chidambaram has become the third chairman of the EGoM, replacing Sharad Pawar, who took the place of Pranab Mukherjee
The most important part of the EGOM’s work is to fix the reserve price for spectrum in the 2G auctions scheduled for August.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended a reserve price of Rs.18, 348 crore for 4.4 MHz of pan-India spectrum — a quantum leap from Rs.1,658 crore at which the former Telecom Minister, A. Raja, allocated pan-India licences in 2008.
The industry says a high reserve price will push up the per-minute call tariffs to between 30 paise and Re. 1, while the TRAI’s calculations point to a 4-paise a minute increase, which will decline over the 20-year licence period.
The real challenge for Mr. Chidambaram and the EGoM, which is under the Supreme Court’s watch, arises from the fact that the Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body comprising the Secretaries of the Department of Telecom, the Finance Ministry, the Department of Information Technology and the Planning Commission, has passed the buck to the EGoM.
So far, the government has not passed any opinion on the TRAI’s recommendations, which are in sharp contrast to the views obtained at the multiple press conferences held on various spectrum issues and policy matters after Mr. Raja resigned in 2010.
Civil appeal
A civil appeal pending against Mr. Chidambaram in the Supreme Court is an additional challenge.
The appeal asks for an investigation into his role in the 2G matter, claiming that he, as Finance Minister, “overruled” the officers of his own Ministry who favoured auction/market-based pricing of spectrum, thereby allowing the 2G scam to take place and the companies concerned to make windfall profits.
The trial court ruled that Mr. Chidambaram had nothing to answer for.
But Prashant Bhushan of the Center for Public Interest Litigation, who has filed this appeal, told The Hindu: “The appointment of a person to the EGoM ... on whom judgement by the SC is awaited, shows the government’s lack of ethical values and sensitivity to conflict of interest.”
Keywords: 2G spectrum scam, EGoM on spectrum, P.Chidambaram, 2G spectrum auction, spectrum auction, Finance Ministry role, Chidambaram role in spectum scam
By appointing Chidambaram as the chairman of the EGoM, UPA is
publicly challenging it's whole opponents. They are very well
aware that there is no other alternative left before the public
than electing them in the next general election also. It is very
well proved in the present President election campaign. Apart
from gathering support of the most of the non NDA parties, they
can even make fissures NDA also. That is the merit of being in
power. Only the general public can make any difference which is divided on different issues like religion, caste, culture etc.
Only God can save people of India.
Why should Prashant Bhushan see conflict of Interest in the
appointment of Mr. Chidambaram as Head of EGOM, which the paper like
The Hindu does not see? In fact the whole fourth estate should raise
their voice against this appointment. The Hindu may publish what each
one has said to fill its column but unless it is prepared to crusade
against such out right mockery of our system, the freedom of the
press does not serve its purpose.
I hope The Hindu will carry this news item forward and bring more
awareness amonst the people.
It is a sad day.
how to sellect a boss who is honest from a group of dishonest persons
Total disregard of propriety seems to be the guiding principle of the Manmohan Singh government. The country has much to worry about.
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