What the IT minister said about Vodafone
Vaishnaw said that the government invested in Vodafone to foster three players in the telecommunications industry. When questioned about the government’s sentiment towards the investment in Vodafone, Vaishnaw opted not to comment on specific listed companies. He emphasised the impact such comments can have on markets.
What Vaishnaw said about BSNL
The minister also focused on the sector and said “BSNL was in a very bad shape a decade back, almost on the verge of being revived.” Vaishnaw also highlighted the significant turnaround of BSNL. He noted that the state-owned telco has now achieved a profit of over Rs 1,500 crore at the EBITDA level.
Vaishnaw on India’s electronic exports
While discussing electronic exports, Vaishnaw claimed that the sector has reached a milestone of 10 billion dollars. When asked about the potential for electronic exports to surpass Indian IT services, he outlined ambitious targets of achieving 300 billion dollars in production and 100 billion dollars in exports in the coming years.
Vaishnaw expressed his confidence in these targets and cited the developing ecosystem that has enabled the shift of component manufacturers and the increasing occurrence of design work within the country.
The minister also noted that the 100 billion dollar export and 300 billion dollar production goals are highly achievable in the future.