Following SC rap, telcos asked to pay AGR dues immediately
In news:
The Supreme Court ordered contempt proceedings initiation against Telcom companies for failing to pay even a “single penny” to the government in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, worth ₹1.47 lakh crore, despite an October 2019 judgment.
Timeline:
Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th February 2020
The usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
divided into spectrum usage charges and licensing fees ( 3-8 %)
Bone of contention:
The definition of AGR has been under litigation for 14 years.
As per DoT, the charges are calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco – including non-telecom related sources such as deposit interests and asset sales.
As per Telcos, insist that AGR should comprise only the revenues generated from telecom services.
AGR is very Important in Mains Perspective too , it will soon be covered in Mains section
