Centre weighing MTNL's shift to BSNL sans merger?

The government is contemplating shifting MTNL's operations to BSNL through an agreement, thereby trying to sidestep a merger due to MTNL's significant debt load. A decision in this regard is expected within a month following which the proposal would be placed before the Committee of Secretaries and subsequently taken to the Cabinet. Notably, MTNL's financial woes have left it struggling to pay interest to bondholders.