Vodafone Idea on Thursday (20 February) paid Rs 1,000 crore to Department of Telecom towards its AGR dues, official sources said.
Earlier this week, the telecom company had paid Rs 2500 crore and had said it would pay Rs 1000 crore more on weekends.
But Friday is a holiday, so the company has made the payment on Thursday, however, Vodafone Idea did not comment on it.
The DoT seeks Rs 53,000 crore AGR payments from Vodafone Idea as it has been hit maximum by the AGR dues demand.
On Wednesday, VIL chairman K M Birla and his Airtel counterpart Sunil Mittal individually met Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and learnt to have sought relief from the government.
While the Government has so far not taken any decision on a bail out, Birla and Mittal have also met Telecom secretary Anshu Prakash to press for supporting the industry for sustainability.
Vodafone Idea has gone public saying unless government gives relief, it may not remain as a going concern which means it may either shut shop or go for bankruptcy.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.