Tag: privatisation

The much-awaited LIC IPO is expected to hit the market by the fourth quarter of the current fiscal, said Department of Investment and Public Asset Management Secy Tuhin Kanta Pandey. The government is seeking to raise as much as Rs 10 trillion ($133 billion) by selling up to a 10% stake. The sale of a 5% stake would make it India’s largest IPO, while a 10% dilution would make it the second-biggest of an insurer globally, Bloomberg reported. Read more

The government has initiated consultations with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to devise a new security clearance framework for screening potential bidders of public sector banks (PSBs) as it kick-starts the privatisation process, beginning with the strategic divestment of IDBI Bank. As the government is moving ahead with strategic divestment of IDBI Bank and is looking to privatise two PSBs, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) is looking to put in place an appropriate framework as the potential buyers will have to meet the RBI’s fit and proper criteria, according to an official. Read more

Two state-run banks shortlisted by the NITI Aayog-Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)-may be privatised by the Centre, according to the sources. The report further added that the Bank of India could be a potential candidate for privatisation too. NITI Aayog had submitted the names of the two state-run banks and one general insurer to the committee of secretaries on disinvestment. The announcement regarding the privatisation of these banks was made in the Union Budget of 2021-22. The proposal is being vetted by DIPAM and the department of financial services, according to the sources. The Centre has budgeted a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore from stake sale in the current fiscal. It also aims to conclude the privatisation of Air India, BPCL, and Shipping Corporation the process for which has already started in the current fiscal.

The aviation ministry is preparing to sell its stakes in companies that operate airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, a move that will help achieve the government’s target of raising ₹20,000 crores from monetisation of assets in FY22. The ministry has started the process to fetch approvals, including those from the cabinet, to speed up the sale process. “The aviation ministry has an asset monetisation target of ₹20,000 crores for FY22. While privatisation of airports will contribute to that target, this move could become the largest contributor,” said an official who did not want to be named. Read more

The crunch in tax revenues as a result of the pandemic has made privatisation an imperative rather than just a strategy for the Narendra Modi government. At the forefront of this move are Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Air India. Unlike the latter, the oil refining and marketing major is a revenue churner for the government rather than a drain on its finances. Nonetheless, the Union finance ministry’s silence around the submission of expressions of interest (EoIs) for BPCL casts doubts on whether the interested parties are good enough for handing over a public jewel. Read more

Shares of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) declined 5 per cent to ₹ 392.35 apiece on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Tuesday after the government said it received multiple bids for privatisation of the country's second-largest fuel retailer. In the past one-month oil marketing company BPCL share has surged 27 per cent. The sale is crucial for the government in order to meet its disinvestment target of Rs 2.1 trillion for the current fiscal year. The government has not revealed the number of bidders. The transaction advisors for the sale of government 52.98 per cent stake in Bharat Petroleum which is worth ₹ 47,430 crores have reported receiving "multiple expressions of interest", Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said. Strategic disinvestment of BPCL progresses, Now moves to the second stage after multiple expressions of interest have been received," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Twitter.

The Centre is likely to designate the banking/financial sector strategic under the new privatisation policy, the contours of which are nearing finalisation. According to sources discussions had also been held on privatising some state-owned banks that are not on the consolidation list so far. As part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package and according to the new privatisation policy, announced by FM Nirmala Sitharaman the government will come up with a list of strategic sectors. In each strategic sector, no more than four state-owned companies will exist. After the latest round of consolidation of public sector banks, there are currently 12 PSBs. Read more