Telecom sector mess a scam-tainted legacy of UPA govt: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Minister for Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said that the mobile internet tariffs in the country are among the lowest in the world and alleged that the mobile phone mess was the scam-tainted legacy of the UPA government.

In a series of tweets, Prasad said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government had inherited a high cost of the mobile internet from the UPA and turned it around.

"Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited the high cost of the mobile Internet from UPA, which was as high as Rs 268.97 per GB in 2014. Now it is Rs 11.78 per GB, as per TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India)," he said in a tweet.

Prasad, citing a UK based cable, said that the country's mobile "internet rate per GB remains by far the lowest in the world."

"The mobile phone mess was the scam-tainted legacy of UPA. We have set it right, expanded mobile telephony with consumer satisfaction. Also Committed to making BSNL/ MTNL professional and profitable," Prasad added.

Prasad's comment comes after telecom operators Airtel and Vodafone Idea have hiked their tariffs for pre-paid customers, while Reliance Jio has also announced that it will raise the tariffs in the next few weeks.