AGR dues: FM Sitharaman says Telecom department actively
- Country:
- India
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Telecom department has been
actively engaging with telecom companies over the issue of statutory dues and she would wait to hear its decision.
Post the court's latest verdict, it will only be proper to wait and hear from the department concerned, she told
reporters here when asked whether the government was mulling relief for the telecom companies after the recent Supreme
Court orders directing them to clear the dues. "The department has been actively engaging with telecom
companies, immediately after the orders and subsequently also after the review so the department is fully in touch with the
companies and I will wait to hear from the department or on behalf of the government from the department, so that we know
what is the position that the department wants to take on the matter," the Finance Minister said.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea by telecom firms including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd for
extension in the payment schedule and asked them to deposit an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues for spectrum and
licenses by March 17. Some telecom firms have said they were already
struggling with mounting losses and debt and the additional liability has raised concerns of them defaulting on existing
loans.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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- Nirmala Sitharaman
- Telecom
- Vodafone Idea Ltd
- Bharti Airtel
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