ECONOMICS

摘要

In 2007, soon after Shri Andimuthu Raja became the telecom minister of India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) initiated the process of allotment of 2G spectrum and licences. In January 2008, DoT decided to issue licences on a first-come first-served basis with a retrospective cut-off date of 25 September 2007.This rather strange method of allocation, for obvious reason, raised suspicion of foul-play, and a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) indicted the government for a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 trillion to the exchequer. A special CBI court was set up for hearing cases related to what came to be known as the 2G scam. The Supreme Court subsequently pronounced that the process of allocation was flawed, and cancelled 122 telecom licences allocated to nine companies during Raja's tenure. The Court ordered that the spectrum licences be auctioned.