Telecom giants, barring Jio, clamour for sops: What will the govt do?

The sector is facing cumulative debt as high as Rs 7.5 lakh cr; banks fear fresh NPAs may arise

At a time when a chorus of demand for farm loan waivers of around Rs 3 lakh crore is growing, captains of the telecom industry will meet minister Manoj Sinha to seek relief for the industry that has a cumulative debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

This debt becomes Rs 7.5 lakh crore if deferred payment over the next few years for spectrum is included. 

On Thursday, Anil Ambani (RCOM), Sunil Mittal (Bharti Airtel), Kumar Mangalam Birla (Idea) and Vittorio Colao (Vodafone) will meet Sinha and seek the lowering of both licence fee and GST fees and ask for the