The Indian government has reportedly approved the appointment of Anupam Shrivastava as chairman and managing director (CMD) of struggling state-owned telco BSNL.
Specifically, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the long-anticipated…
The Indian government has reportedly approved the appointment of Anupam Shrivastava as chairman and managing director (CMD) of struggling state-owned telco BSNL.
Specifically, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the long-anticipated appointment, the Press Trust of India cited a telecoms ministry official as saying.
Neither BSNL nor the telecoms ministry was immediately available for comment.
Shrivastava replaces Shri Rai, enterprise director at the telco, who has also served as CMD since July 2014.
Shrivastatva has been director of consumer mobility at BSNL since May 2013.
Earlier this month, telecoms minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was cited in Indian media as saying BSNL will not be merged with fellow loss-making state-controlled telco MTNL. He reportedly said the government will work to rebuild the companies individually.
In early September last year, the Economic Times wrote that the telecoms ministry planned to combine the two telcos in mid-2015 and would restructure their operations beforehand.
However, a report later in the month said government officials had met to discuss shutting down some struggling state-owned companies, which could include BSNL and/or MTNL.
The telcos have faced difficulties in India’s crowded mobile market and, since 2010, several options have been considered to revive them, including a merger and tower sales.
