Maran: Safety first

New Delhi, Oct. 26: The government today said national security will not be compromised while enhancing FDI in the telecom sector from 49 per cent to 74 per cent, but warned against “over-reactions” in the name of safety.

“National security is supreme. There cannot be any comprise on that,” IT and communications minister Dayanidhi Maran said regarding the security concerns being raised by the National Security Council (NSC) on allowing more FDI to flow into the telecom sector. He, however, said: “We should be careful of over-reacting in the name of national security. We should follow international trends while keeping security of the nation intact.”

The National Security Council had, in a recent note, classified telecom as one of the sensitive sectors, where FDI from certain countries can be used to subvert national security.

The minister said the department of telecommunications (DoT) was addressing all “fears” pertaining to FDI in telecom, though he refused to elaborate on what these fears were.

“DoT is in the process of preparing a cabinet note and it would be impulsive on my part to divulge any details at the moment. But we shall definitely try and address all issues and fears associated with increased FDI,” said Maran.

Maran also said his ministry would try to resolve issues in implementation of guidelines that permit up to 74 per cent FDI in the telecom sector, within the timeframe set by the cabinet.

Last month, the cabinet extended the period for addressing security concerns and resolution of inter-ministerial differences by three months to December 31, 2006.