Govt’s AGR collection rises to Rs25,701 cr, around a fourth of its claims
04 Mar 2020
The government has so far received Rs25,701 crore as AGR dues from telecom service provider as of 3 March, with Tata Teleservices on Tuesday also making payment of Rs2,00 crore as its second instalment.
Tata Teleservices had earlier paid Rs2,197 crore and said it was its full and final payment after self-assessment.This takes Tata Tele’s total AGR dues payments to Rs4.197 crore. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), however, continues to hold that TTSL has to pay the remaining amount of Rs14,819.03 crore.
Bharti Airtel also on Saturday paid an additional Rs8,004 crore towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the DoT, over and above the Rs10,000 crore the company paid on 17 February.
The Supreme Court had, on 14 February, directed telecom firms Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices to pay up all AGR dues by the next hearing on 17 March.
Vodafone Idea had paid Rs3,500 crore in two tranches and has sought more time and more time for self-assessment to be able to consider any payment.
Vodafone Idea chairman K M Birla had met officials of the telecom ministry as well as the telecom and finance ministers seeking relief in paying the AGR dues.
On Friday, the Digital Communications Commission met to discuss relief to the sector but officials said they need more data to reconcile government figures with telcos' self-assessment to be able to consider any relief.