RBI should not give banking license to corporates: Parliamentary panel

10 Dec 2013 Evaluate

A Parliamentary panel has suggested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should refrain from giving bank licenses to corporates as the banking business is "highly leveraged" and involves public money. Headed by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, the Standing Committee on Finance also asked the RBI to review the guidelines on 'licensing of new banks in the private sector’ issued on February 22 and opined that it will be more in the fitness of things to keep industry and banking separate.

Additionally, the committee also has expressed apprehension that management of private banks may deploy their funds to extend undue favour to own industrial owners, as noticed in the pre- nationalized era and may not be geared up to achieve the national objectives of financial inclusion, priority sector lending, etc.

Further, the thirty two member have also raised concerns on of ‘fit and proper’ criteria to  be used by RBI to grant banking license as "too ambiguous" and the one which will leave the doors open for arbitrariness and invite charges of favoritisms. So, with a view to ensure fair-play and justice in the licensing process, the committee has favoured for a suitable mechanism to enable aggrieved applicants to seek review of decisions.

Furthermore, it has recommended raising the minimum capital requirement for the new banks to Rs 1,000 crore from the present Rs 500 crore. On timeline, the committee recommended the RBI to execute the process of screening and evaluation of applications in a well-defined and transparent manner, so that there is no room for speculation or conjecture. A total of about twenty four companies, including corporate houses, are in the fray to obtain bank licenses, which the RBI proposes to hand out in the first quarter of 2014.

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