PSU stake sale only when markets favourable: FM

20 Aug 2011 Evaluate

The bearish sentiment of stock markets is halting the disinvestment process of the Public Sector Units (PSUs). The Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee hinted that the current market conditions are not favourable for selling government stake in PSUs. Mukherjee said ‘...I am fully aware of the current volatile situation in the market, and surely not only me, any prudent finance minister would not like to dispose of valuable assets.’

The capital market sentiments worldwide have been in bearish mode over the issue of debt crisis in European nations and United States. Following the global trend, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex fell by more than 4% in a week. On Friday, BSE Sensex fell below 16,000 marks, which is close to 15 months low on sustained pull-out by foreign funds, although it recovered a little. 

Mukherjee said ‘we cannot sell our valuable assets at a condition, at a market situation where we will not get the adequate prices,’ by adding further he said the whole objective is to discover the latent price which is not known. On the issue of taking decision on disinvestment of PSUs, he said while taking decision on disinvestment, the government would keep in mind the market condition.

The government, which is looking to raise Rs 40,000 crore from disinvestment in state run companies in this fiscal. So far it has only managed Rs 1,162 crore by selling 5% government stake in Power Finance Corporation. The cabinet has already approved disinvestment in four companies, which include SAIL, ONGC, Hindustan Copper and National Building and Construction Corporation (NBCC). And on the other hand, the proposals for disinvestment of 5% paid up equity capital of Bharat Heavy Electricals and 10% of National Aluminium Company is at various stages before seeking government approval.

Earlier in the last fiscal, the government trimmed its disinvestment target on account of revenue from 3G spectrum sale. Three initial public offerings and three follow-on public offerings had fetched the government Rs 22,400 crore.

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