The Secretariat of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), mandated to inquire into the telecom licensing policy and the 2G spectrum scam, has formally written to the Finance Ministry, asking for a copy of its hotly debated March 25 note to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The note, which is part of a petition filed in the Supreme Court by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on the 2G spectrum scam, implies that the then Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, could have averted the awarding of 2G spectrum licences in 2008 at the price determined in 2001.
JPC Chairman P.C. Chacko told The Hindu that when he saw news reports on the note, he checked with the Secretariat to ascertain whether it was provided to the committee as part of the records sought from the government.
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“When I was informed that there is no such note with the Secretariat, I directed the officials to write to the PMO, seeking a copy of the purported note. If such a note exists, I believe it is valuable information for the committee members. It has been the practice of the Secretariat to keep the members informed of all the inputs received from various quarters,” he said.
Further action
The JPC chief said he would take a call on the basis of the content of the note on whether any further course of action was warranted. The committee was proceeding on a sequential basis from 1998 and there would be no change in the schedule.
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Asked about the previous letter of some committee members, seeking the summoning of all former Finance Ministers for interaction on issues related to the telecom policy, he said that he, in consultation with the committee members, would take a decision on the suggestion.