On Board Air India One, Sep 23 - The government may support the proposed $23-billion cash-cum-equity-swap deal between Bharti Airtel and South African telecom major MTN that seems to have run into turbulent weather after new norms on takeover announced by India's capital markets watchdog.

A senior government functionary gave this indication Wednesday during an informal interaction with journalists accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while on way for the G20 Summit at Pittsburgh, US.

'Other governments do much more for their companies,' the official said on condition of anonymity, alluding to how concessions are extended in other countries when interests of the corporate sector are involved.

'We understand it is the question of supporting a private company.'

The official's remarks assume added significance in the wake of Bharti and MTN approaching the extended deadline of Sep 30 to conclude their deal, which could result in a strategically aligned entity with over 200 million telephone subscribers.

Incidentally, Bharti group chairman Sunil Mittal had met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Tuesday to ostensibly seek the government's support for the swap deal even as a clarification by India's capital markets watchdog was seen as putting a spanner in the spokes.