Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Idea Cellular, had said that the group remains committed towards the telecom business and is in the process of creating a large digital infrastructure. "At a time when the telecom industry is going through a challenging environment, this equity infusion by the group in Idea is another step towards reinforcing the group's commitment," Birla said. In a separate statement, Vodafone said the proceeds from this funds-raising, in addition to Rs 7,850-crore of proceeds from the announced disposals of Vodafone India's and Idea's standalone tower businesses, will be used to strengthen the balance sheet of the merged entity of Vodafone India and Idea. "As a consequence of the change in shareholding (to 47% from 42%) in Idea following the capital raise, ABG (Aditya Birla Group) and Vodafone have agreed that ABG will buy a minimum of 2.5% of the merged entity from Vodafone, or such higher stake required in order for ABG to ultimately own at least 26% of the merged entity," it said.