Odisha owes BSNL ₹28.54 crore for old telephone bills
Odisha's government still owes BSNL a hefty ₹28.54 crore for old telephone bills, according to Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
After three reminders from Scindia himself, Scindia has now asked Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to settle up soon.
Why this matters
Among the largest individual departmental arrears are Information and Public Relations (₹8.59 crore) and Law (₹4.42 crore), with others like Education and Health also owing over ₹1 crore each.
While some payments came in late last year, BSNL is still struggling financially—even after multiple revival packages—because it depends on timely payments to keep services running, especially in rural areas where they're crucial for banks, institutions and even the armed forces.
If these dues aren't cleared soon, it could impact essential connectivity across the state.