In a breather to telcos, DoT may lighten debt burden by relaxing timelines

The effort would be to firm up measures so that the telecom sector does not go down any further, an official said

The government has decided to initiate consultations on relief measures for the highly stressed telecom sector. This comes in the backdrop of Vodafone Idea and its lenders seeking government intervention to avert a financial crisis. While the Supreme Court, in its hearing on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) scheduled to start on July 19, is expected to give clarity on the quantum of industry dues, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is likely to consider relief on certain levies that companies pay to the government.

The Supreme Court had last September allowed telcos 10 years for staggered payment of the AGR money