End to pesky calls, SMSes soon: Minister

Terming unsolicited calls by the telemarketers as a 'menace', Minister of State for Telecom Sachin Pilot on Friday said that the government will soon put a complete curb on such calls and SMSes.

Pilot said ". . . this (unsolicited calls) has become a menace. This does not happen anywhere in the world. Telecom operators and service providers had been categorically asked to stop the increasing menace of sending unsolicited calls and SMSes."

The Department of Telecom and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India have already held necessary consultations to put a complete ban to such calls, he added.

This comes in the backdrop of Telecom Minister A Raja ordering action to stop unsolicited calls by telemarketing companies.

The issue surfaced after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee received a call from a telemarketer when he was in an important meeting with the Opposition parties.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had already floated a consultation paper on curbing such commercial calls and messages in May this year.