In Short:
In its third term, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government appointed Jyotiraditya M. Scindia as the Minister of Communications and the Minister of Development of North Eastern Region. The focus is on improving the telecom sector and reviving BSNL’s 4G services. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani has been appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications. Industry leaders are looking forward to policy reforms and advancements in the digital revolution.
Government Allocates Ministry of Communications to Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has appointed Jyotiraditya M. Scindia as the Minister of Communications in its third term. Additionally, he has been assigned the role of Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, as announced by Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 10, 2024.
Scindia, a former civil aviation minister, succeeds Ashwini Vaishnaw, who has been given the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry along with Railways and Information Technology (IT).
Focus on Telecom Sector Revival
As the new union telecom minister, Scindia’s immediate focus is expected to be on enhancing the overall health of the sector and revitalizing state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), which has faced challenges in launching its commercial 4G services amidst advancements by private operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel in the 5G space.
“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, significant efforts have been made in the past decade to rejuvenate the industry and drive the digital revolution. Building on this momentum, we look forward to collaborating with Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to implement further policy reforms and drive innovative initiatives that will propel the digital revolution to new heights,” said SP Kochhar, Director-General of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
Other Appointments
In related appointments, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani has been named as the Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Communications, and also as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.
