However, the minister who had called the conference on the completion of 100 days of his tenure, made a conscious effort to distance himself from some of the decisions related to the TRAI reconstitution.

One of the main issues was the recent Cabinet decision of exempting the TRAI from the purview of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) on the issues of tariff setting and revenue sharing functions. Sources said that the CAG had expressedconcern over the moves to this effect.

Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have also raised the matter and have objected to the curbing of the CAG's powers. They have cited the instance of several irregularities committed by some members of the TRAI, against whom recovery process for excess expenditure has been initiated.

Telecom Commission chairman and DoT secretary Anil Kumar stepped in to clarify the issue. "The TRAI will not be outside the purview of the CAG", Kumar said and added that bodies which are funded from the Consolidated Fund of India have to be under CAG purview. However, sources maintained that the final position would only emerge on the promulgation of the Ordinance.

Paswan maintained that he was not in a position to speak on many aspects, as they were based on recommendations by the group on telecom (GoT).

Cabinet to decide on NLD liberalisation
The ministry of communications will put up the final policy on opening of national long distance (NLD) communicationsto the Cabinet in the next few days. Union communications minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the final policy would be announced by the end of this month, in time for the deadline of January 31.