Govt not included AGR dues payment in Budget 2020-21: DEA Secretary

The government has not included AGR dues payment in the Budget 2020-21, Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty said on Monday.

It is pertinent to mention here that 15 entities owe the government about Rs 1.47 trillion in past dues — Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges.

“AGR dues payment has not been taken into account in the Budget,” Chakraborty said at a post Budget event in Ficci.

Sources, meanwhile, said that past AGR or statutory dues payments have not been included as the matter is in the court. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Tata Teleservices have jointly filed a modification application in the Supreme Court seeking more time to pay their statutory dues.