Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:Wikimedia 

The Indian government is thinking about helping Vodafone Idea, a big mobile company that is struggling with money. This help could include giving them more time—up to 20 years instead of 6—to pay back their huge dues. Right now, the company has to pay interest that keeps adding up (called compound interest). The government might change it to simple interest, which is easier to manage.

Because of this news, Vodafone Idea’s share price went up by over 4%.

The government owns about 49% of Vodafone Idea, so it's worried that if the company shuts down, it will hurt both the government and the telecom industry. If Vodafone Idea fails, only two big telecom companies will remain in India. This could make things worse for customers and future auctions for mobile network space.

The company has a huge debt of ₹1.19 lakh crore and recently lost a case in the Supreme Court where it tried to avoid paying ₹30,000 crore in extra charges. The court rejected their request and said the demand was unreasonable.

The company’s CEO warned that without help, they might have to shut down by 2026. He said they can’t spend on improving services and might lose customers, which could also make the government's investment useless.