New Delhi:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday defended the government's use of phone taps saying that these powers were necessary to deal with issues like tax evasion, but stressed that they have to be well regulated and shouldn't be misused.
"We are aware of the nervousness in some sections of corporate sector about phone tapping. While these powers are needed, they have to be exercised with utmost care and under very defined rules, procedures and mechanisms so that they are not misused," he said while inaugurating the India Corporate Week 2010 in New Delhi.
Here's the full text of PM's speech: