"Spectrum Like Atma": Trinamool's Mahua Moitra Shares Gem From Note On Telecom Bill

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra today shared a rather spiritual definition of telecom spectrum as "atma" or a spirit that's omnipresent. She was quoting from an explanatory note of the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, which aims to modernise the law. 

It says spectrum is "similar to atma, which is ajar, amar as described in Shrimad Bhagwad Gita".

'Ajar' and 'amar' mean indestructible and immortal. 

“In a way, spectrum is similar to atma, which is ajar, amar, as described in Bhagwad Gita. Like atma, spectrum too dos not have any physical form, yet it is omnipresent”

This is not a spiritual text. It is Page 5 of Explanatory Note to Telecom bill uploaded on @DoT_India website pic.twitter.com/Q2r3imQS6w

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) September 22, 2022

The Bengal MP followed up with another tweet listing the Gita as "essential reading" for the next meeting with department officials. She tagged the Twitter handles of three other members of the Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology — Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Karti Chidambaram, and the DMK's T Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian. They hadn't responded yet. 

I'm carrying my copy of the Gita to sitting of Parliamentary Standing committee when DoT officials next called to depose.

Clearly essential reading material.@ShashiTharoor @KartiPC @ThamizhachiTh

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) September 22, 2022

The 19-page Explanatory Note she was referring to reasons why a new law for telecom is required.

"With 117 crore subscribers, India is the world's second largest telecommunication ecosystem... The existing regulatory framework for the telecommunication sector is based on the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885," it says.

"The nature of telecommunication, its usage and technologies have undergone a massive change since the era of 'telegraph'. We now live in the era of new technologies such as 4G and 5G... India needs a legal framework attuned to the realities of the 21st century," it adds.

As part of the consultative process, anyone can send comments on the drat law to the email ID naveen.kumar71@gov.in by October 20.