New Delhi: Government has closed the case for formation of the much-talked about Sankhya Vahini India Ltd.

"The Cabinet, at its meeting yesterday (on April 18) which was chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, was informed that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has decided to close the case for formation of Sankhya Vahini India Ltd," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters.

The Cabinet had in January 2000 approved a proposal for formation of Sankhya Vahini India Ltd, a joint venture company of the then Department of Telecom Services, IUNet (a subsidiary of Carnegic Mellon University) of Pittsburgh, US, Department of Electronics and some educational institutions in India.

Subsequently IUNet pulled out of the project and the joint venture was abandoned, he said.

Mahajan said that the Cabinet at its meeting on April 18 also approved the grant of Chennai and Kochi as additional points of call to the designated airline of Kuwait (Kuwait Airline).

The Cabinet also approved Cairo as an additional "beyond point" of call for the designated airlines of India with full fifth freedom rights.

The existing route schedule would now be replaced by new route schedule, he said adding, "This decision will help provide direct connectivity between Chennai/Kochi and Kuwait by Kuwait Airlines."

PTI