In a Rs 2,000-crore giveaway, the finance ministry has agreed to waive the licence fee of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for its telecom operations and bring the corporatised public sector undertaking under minimum alternate tax (MAT) for five years with retrospective effect from October 2000.
Top government officials told Business Standard that following a request for financial concessions by BSNL, the finance ministry has agreed to waive the licence fee for providing basic and cellular services.