NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MUMBAI, SEP 15
Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh D Ambani welcomed the latest set of reforms and relief measures for the telecom sector announced by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. He said the measures would help achieve goals set out in the Digital India mission.
“The telecom sector is one of the prime movers of the economy and the key enabler for making India a Digital Society, I welcome the Government of India’s announcement of reforms and relief measures that will enable the industry to achieve the goals of Digital India. I thank Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) for this bold initiative,” Ambani said in a press statement.
“Jio’s mission is to bring the fruits of the Digital Revolution to 1.35 billion Indians. Guided by this mission, we have ensured that Indians have the highest quality and the highest quantity data access anywhere in the world, at the most affordable prices. The Government’s telecom sector reforms will encourage us to bring newer and greater benefits to our customers,” Ambani said.
Earlier in the day, the government announced a string of measures, including a four-year moratorium on payment of statutory dues by telecom companies (telcos). The Cabinet also gave a greenlight to 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector through the automatic route.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Cabinet has also decided to rationalise aggregated gross revenue (AGR) definition, excluding non-telecom revenue of telcos from payment of statutory levies.
As part of the relief package, the telecos could opt to convert the interest due on their spectrum amounting to four-year moratorium, to government equity. The package comes as a relief to the struggling telecom sector that is going through a financial crunch.
