Telcos to pay Rs 1.47 trn in AGR dues, no interest waiver on cards: Prasad

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom companies owe the government as much as Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past statutory dues, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Parliament on Wednesday adding that there is no proposal at present to waive interest and penalties on such dues.

In replies to separate questions in the Lok Sabha, Prasad said telecom companies owe the government Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee, and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges.

These liabilities arose after the Supreme Court last month held that non-telecom revenues have to be considered for calculating statutory dues.