IMC 2025: Government Rules Out Raising Stake in Vodafone Idea, Retains 49 Percent Holding: Report

Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the government has no plans to increase its stake in the cash-strapped telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd, ruling out any move that would convert the private entity into a public sector undertaking (PSU), according to multiple media reports, including NDTV Profit and The Economic Times.

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No Move Toward Stake Increase

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, Scindia clarified that the government’s current 49 percent ownership in Vodafone Idea will remain unchanged.

“We are 49 percent equity holders in VI. At this point, and in the near future, we will not increase our stake. So that’s where it will lie,” Scindia told NDTV Profit at the sidelines of the IMC 2025.

The government told the Supreme Court last month that “some solution may be required”, given public funds are now tied up in the carrier.

Scindia reportedly said there is a “tremendous amount of competition” in India’s telecom sector and noted the presence of four carriers.

“The telecom penetration in India is extremely high, and the cost structure is the lowest in the world. We’ve got the lowest voice rate at 3 paisa a minute. Data is charged at Rs 9 per GB. We have a very fiercely competitive market. But the more the merrier,” he said, according to the report.

In an earlier interview with The Economic Times in April, Scindia had said, “No, then it (Vi) becomes a public sector undertaking (PSU).” He further clarified that the government’s previous conversion of statutory dues into equity was a one-time measure to provide financial relief to the company, not a step towards nationalisation.