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The Planning Commission will soon come out with a report, suggesting changes to the existing spectrum management model, including pricing and allocation of spectrum in the future.
“The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought our feedback on the suggestions of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and we are working on it. We have already held preliminary round of discussions and will soon be coming out with our recommendations,” Mr Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Planning, Science and Technology and Parliamentary Affairs, told mediapersons here on Thursday.
Refusing to give a time frame for submission of the report, the Minister said: “It will be our endeavour to give our inputs that will ensure that all ambiguity regarding pricing of spectrum is dispelled in the future.”
The Commission will submit the report to the DoT and later to the Cabinet. It will also take stock of issues like linking prices of 2G spectrum with those of 3G spectrum.
Semiconductor units
Mr Kumar said the Centre was in the process of setting up two semiconductor wafer units at a cost of Rs 7,500 crore in an effort to give a push to domestic production of electronic hardware.
He indicated that Andhra Pradesh was being considered for locating one of the units, with the Chief Minister also having shown interest.
“Shortage in domestic supply of electronic hardware is a serious issue. Domestic production is currently at about $25 billion, as against the demand of $45 billion,” he said, adding that by 2020 the demand would surge to $400 billion, while local capacity at the current growth level would hardly be $125 billion.
“Therefore if this situation continues, our import bill on electronic hardware will be almost $300 billion after 2020 and this is a matter of huge concern,” he pointed out.
In the interim period, the Planning Commission is suggesting that 30 per cent of the Government's production of electronic hardware be reserved for domestic suppliers.
On the Lokpal Bill, the Minister said the Government was determined to present the Bill in Parliament in the ensuing monsoon session.
Earlier, the Minister visited the Indian Institute of Chemical technology, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Indian National centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad.
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