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Business News/ News / India/  Dipam, Niti Aayog aim to cut government stake in select CPSEs to below 51%
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Dipam, Niti Aayog aim to cut government stake in select CPSEs to below 51%

Dipam will issue inter-ministerial discussions and will chalk out methods and startegies for this
  • Government would realign its holding in CPSEs to permit greater availability of its shares and to improve depth of market
  • The government is at present on the look-out to tap newer sources of revenue as it tries to address the country's developmental needs. (Photo: Mint)Premium
    The government is at present on the look-out to tap newer sources of revenue as it tries to address the country's developmental needs. (Photo: Mint)

    New Delhi: Government will start consultations soon with Niti Aayog and Energy and Petroleum Ministries to bring down its equity holding below 51%, including change of norms and modes of doing the stake dilution in very few select PSUs to begin with.

    At the initial stage it will be two-three PSUs where government stake in these PSUs would be brought down to less than 51% which would also require amendment to certain laws.

    However, it will be very selective not more than three maximum in the current fiscal. These firms will then be out of oversight agencies like Central Vigilance Commission and Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Apart from this, there is sensitive issues such as reservation policy in PSUs need to be reworked as once the government cedes direct control, such policies may be diluted.

    Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (Dipam) will issue inter-ministerial discussions and will chalk out methods and startegies of reducing the government's 51% stake in context of how much stake the other government entity in that PSU holds and the government can reduce its own direct stakes by that quantum, sources said.

    Privatisation, startegic sales, minority sales of CPSEs have been activated to press the disinvestment button in the wake of the corporate tax cuts, which will trim government revenue by 1.45 lakh crore in the ongoing financial year. This also raises questions of whether India will be able to achieve its fiscal deficit target for 2019-20.

    Targetting big-ticket strategic sales, the government had announced a major shift in the budget in its disinvestment policy to allow it to reduce its stake to less than 51% in state-run firms.

    Government would realign its holding in CPSEs to permit greater availability of its shares and to improve depth of market. In some non-strategic companies we can go below 51% irrespective of whether the government directly or indirectly holds a majority stake, said the official.

    In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that strategic disinvestment of select CPSEs would remain a priority and that the government would offer more CPSEs for strategic participation by the private sector.

    "The basic understanding is that we can go below 51% on a case-to-case basis. How 51% is to be calculated also has to be stated. Government has also decided to modify present policy of retaining 51% stake inclusive of stake from government-controlled institutions. Large stake is held by public financial institutions or cross holdings, then that leaves very little float for people to come in. However, with this the float will be more.

    The government is at present on the look-out to tap newer sources of revenue as it tries to address the country's developmental needs. It has also had to sharply cut taxes to spur investments and push up growth which has slipped to a six year low.

    In 2017-18, ONGC acquired the Centre's 51% stake in Hindustan Petroleum for 36,900 crore, and helped Dipam garner a record 1 trillion in divestment proceeds. In 2018-19, Power Finance Corp acquired the Centre's 52.63% stake in Rural Electrification Corp for 14,500 crore. For the current fiscal, the target for sell-off is 1.05 lakh crore.

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    This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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    Published: 29 Sep 2019, 10:52 AM IST
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