BSNL pays Rs 675 cr dividend to Govt

New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today paid a final dividend of Rs 675 crore to the Government.

Presenting a cheque of Rs 675 crore to Minister of State for Communication and Information Shakeel Ahmad, BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Kuldeep Goyal said the company has already given a dividend of Rs 500 crore earlier, besides this final dividend.

Altogether, BSNL has contributed Rs 1,175 crore to the Government exchequer, he said.

In last five years, BSNL has paid to the government exchequer more than Rs 48,000 crore in form of various leaves, duties and taxes, Mr Goel said.

Commenting on the broadband service, he said, ''We are rolling out the broadband network not only in the urban area but also in the rural areas and contributing significantly in various government initiatives of e-governance.'' UNI