Straight dial: BSNL to diversify, plans technical university

BHARAT Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) may be fighting hard to stay afloat due to mounting losses thanks to competition from the private players plus its obligations to the government as the state owned telecom giant. But notwithstanding the growing problems the telecom major has...
started work on establishing a technical university that will offer engineering and management courses. This may be a ploy for the telecom major to recover its losses.  
BSNL will approach the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for approval in eight months. The telecom PSU is also hopeful of getting the necessary clearances. In fact, BSNL has enough infrastructure to meet AICTE guidelines for engineering and management education. It also has sufficient supporting staff to meet the UGC norms. This was disclosed by Director (Consumer Mobility) BSNL Anupam Shrivastava.
 “Due to the initiatives of the HRD ministry, institutions running short-term courses such as Defence Institute of Advance Technology have been converted into formal and autonomous education institutions. We should also have no issues in getting approval,” Shrivastava added.
The public sector enterprise selection board has also selected Shrivastava for the post of chairman and managing director of the company.
BSNL has formed a committee under Senior General Manager G C Manna to work on the detailed project report.
Shrivastava said the institute will have a capacity to train 1,500 to 3,000 students at one time.
“We have a centre in Ghaziabad which is aided by the United Nations but is under-utilised. It has a capacity to train 2,500-3,000 students. Similarly, we have a centre in Jabalpur. There are other 16 centres which have a minimum capacity of 1,000 students,” Shrivastava said.
BSNL will add formal courses on cyber security at the centre to contribute in the government’s target of creating 500,000 professionals skilled in this domain by 2018.
“Cyber security is an emerging concern. We have the infrastructure to train people. Today, we have a crunch of cyber security experts. This initiative will not only help us but also other organisations with skilled workforce. It will be a dynamic course and its format will decided after due deliberations,” Shrivastava said.