VIL pegs dues at Rs 21,533 cr, less than half of DoT estimate

Beleaguered Vodafone Idea Ltd on Friday put its total dues to the government following a Supreme Court order at Rs 21,533 crore — less than half of what the Telecom Department has estimated, even as the Vodafone CEO indicated keenness to make a “new, good beginning” in India. Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read met top ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, and informed them that UK telecom giant’s India joint venture, Vodafone Idea Ltd is “exploring” options to make additional payment towards its outstanding statutory dues.

Vodafone Idea in a statement said it has already paid Rs 3,500 crore out of the “self-assessed” liability of Rs 21,533 crore. The DoT, following the Supreme Court ruling in October last year which said that all kinds of income generated by telecom companies will be considered for calculating Government dues, had estimated Vodafone Idea’s liabilities at over Rs 53,000 crore.