Despite several reminder letters from the Ministry of Communications, including three in recent months from Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, the Odisha government has not paid its unpaid telephone bills. Scindia stated in the letter that a number of Odisha government offices and organizations have not paid BSNL their outstanding balances.
The Union Minister claimed that several state departments and government organizations had not paid service charges by the deadline in a letter addressed to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. He asked the Odisha government to step in and settle the unpaid balance right away.
The Union minister emphasized the strategic significance of BSNL, stating that the corporation is essential to the nation’s telecom services, especially in rural, isolated, and underserved areas. He emphasized that BSNL provides vital connectivity to banks and other organizations and supports a number of important government agencies, including the military.
According to him, BSNL’s wide network and presence make it a reliable foundation for government and citizen focused services. It continues to play a major role in citizen centric services with its extensive network.
In addition to highlighting BSNL’s financial difficulties, Scindia noted that the Center had authorized revival packages in 2019, 2022, and 2023 to increase BSNL competitiveness and profitability. He did, however, emphasize that consistent cash flow is still necessary for both modernizing telecom infrastructure and daily operations.
The letter claims that the Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications has already asked the Odisha government for early payment of the outstanding balance. According to Scindia, the state’s prompt payment is essential to maintaining service quality and guaranteeing safe and dependable telecom services.
The minister stated in the letter that timely payment of these dues is essential to sustain its operations and service quality, considering BSNL’s critical role in providing secure and reliable telecommunications. The minister also stated that the state government’s support is essential for BSNL to continue providing vital communication services that contribute to both regional and national development.
The Union Minister asked the Chief Minister to direct all relevant ministries and organizations to accelerate the payment of the unpaid balances. He claimed that the assistance of the state government would aid in BSNL’s financial stabilization and allow it to carry on offering crucial communication services for the advancement of the region and the country.
The Odisha government had issued a significant directive in September 2025 before to this event. The instruction mandated that all state government agencies and departments adopt BSNL services. The issue of unpaid service charge payments has now become a concern, notwithstanding the fact that this action was taken to support the government-owned telecom business.
The Union Minister said he was confident that the state administration will take the issue seriously and order all relevant ministries to pay the outstanding payments. According to experts, BSNL requires enough money to expand its 4G and 5G service offerings. Nevertheless, the Odisha government has yet to provide an official reaction. The Chief Minister’s Office is reportedly looking into the situation in the meanwhile.
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He asked the chief minister to give the relevant ministries and organizations the directives they need to expedite the payment of the outstanding balances as soon as possible. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) secretary has previously requested that the outstanding sums be cleared as soon as possible.
