70,000 Employees Have Opted For Voluntary Retirement Scheme, Says BSNL CMD

A week after launching the Voluntary Retirement Scheme, BSNL has informed that so far 70,000 employees have opted for the same, reports PTI. According to the report, nearly one lakh employees are eligible for VRS, out of a total of 1.5 lakh employees. The state-run telecom operator also seems hopeful that 77,000 of its employees will take the benefits of the scheme.

"The number of employees who have opted for VRS so far has reached about 70,000. The response has been strong across the board," Chairman and MD, BSNL PK Purwar was quoted by PTI. Besides, the telecom ministry has asked BSNL to ensure smooth operations in rural areas. For the unaware, the VRS scheme has been rolled out last week and it will remain open till December 3. Under this scheme, all employees of BSNL who are above 50 years are eligible for voluntary retirement.

Furthermore, the employees will get 125 percent of the salary for the remaining years of service. It also includes a pension. Meanwhile, MTNL has also rolled out its VRS scheme for its employees and that will be open till December 3, 2019.

To recall, last month, the government approved the merger between both the MTNL and the BSNL. Apart from that, the company the government is all set to give a relief package to BSNL so that it can compete with private players. The relief package also includes Rs. 20,140 crore for purchase of 4G spectrum.

On the other hand, BSNL is planning to launch its 4G services in six months. At present, the company is looking at upgrading the equipment and identifying the locations, where it can deploy its 4G network. In fact, the state-run telecom operator is likely to spend Rs. 12,000 crore in the deployment.