Top 30 NPA accounts of state-run banks under government scanner: Chidambaram

23 Oct 2013 Evaluate

Raising concern over growing defaults by big borrowers, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram underscored that the government was monitoring top 30 NPA accounts in each PSU bank, each zone. Besides, he also directed the state-run lenders to set up separate verticals to recover the money from written-off accounts.

Gross NPAs in the banking system were 3.4% of total lending in 2012-13 and are expected to rise to 4.4% in the year to March. However, the minister ruled out the situation being as worse as the one in the Year 2000, when the gross NPAs touched a high of 14%. The Minister, who believes non-performing assets (NPAs) as a “function of economy, hopes them to improve with the recovery in the economy.

Chidambaram, however, expressed satisfaction over credit growth by PSU banks in the first and second quarters of the current financial year and expressed hope that it will remain “satisfactory” in the remaining part of the fiscal. While, housing loans recorded a healthy growth in the first and second quarters and rose by 42% and 61%, respectively, growth in education loans was also observed.

Nevertheless, the minister directed the banks to meet the lending target regarding to minorities. He added that the PSU banks will open 10,000 new branches and set up 34,668 on-site ATMs during the course of the current financial year.

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