‘DoT to assess actual loss in 2G scam’
Asserting that the alleged revenue loss of `1.76 lakh crores on issuance of new 2G licences in 2008 was “presumptive”, new telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday said the DoT will soon start an exercise to arrive at the actual figure.
“All the numbers that are being handed out are all presumptive as the (government auditor) CAG itself said... We must move from presumptive to certainty,” Mr Sibal said.
It (revenue loss to the exchequer) is a separate exercise in which “we have to determine net present value” of the licences, he said, adding that there was no auction of 2G spectrum so “you can’t determine what the market value would have been for this.” It is this exercise that needs to be done, he added.
In 2008, the government had distributed 122 new telecom licences to seven operators, besides 38 dual technology licences bundled with 4.4 MHz of start-up spectrum, at a seemingly undervalued price of `1,651 crores for pan-India operations. This was opposed by the incumbent operators, some of whom quoted arbitrary higher prices for acquisition of the radiowaves.
The CAG has calculated the “presumptive” loss on account of the under-valued sale of 2G airwaves at `1.76 lakh crores, based on the amount raised from the recent 3G spectrum auction as well as the price quotations submitted by some of the operators that did not get licences.
“A large number of people have been granted 2G licences with an entry fee of `1,651 crores... We now have to determine what would be the share of revenue the government would have got over a period of 20 years (periodicity of licence) and then arrive at its value,” Mr Sibal said.
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