Finance Ministry lines up 16 PSUs for disinvestment in 2016-17

The Finance Ministry has lined up a list of 16 PSUs for disinvestment in 2016-17 which could fetch the exchequer Rs 40,000 crore at current stock value. The list includes ONGC, Oil India and Coal India and state-owned companies such as NMDC, MOIL, MMTC, National Fertilisers, NHPC, NALCO and Bharat Electronics.

The list mostly contains PSUs which were up for sale in the last fiscal itself but volatile market conditions delayed the plan. Besides, the Cabinet approvals are also in place for some of these PSUs. In PSUs which have excess cash, buy back is also an option for which new approval is not needed.

At the current market price, 10 per cent stake sale in Coal India, NMDC and Nalco could fetch around Rs 18,000 crore, Rs 3,800 crore and Rs 1,000 crore respectively.  Besides, 5 per cent stake sale in ONGC, BHEL and Bharat Electronics could raise about Rs 9,000 crore, Rs 1,300 crore and Rs 1,400 crore.  A 10 per cent stake sale in NHPC and MOIL could fetch around Rs 3,000 crore and Rs 365 crore.  Further, a 15 per cent stake sale in MMTC, National Fertiliser and STC could raise about Rs 560 crore, Rs 200 crore and Rs 80 crore respectively.  Furthermore, the government is considering a 5 per cent stake sale in Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, 12.03 per cent in ITDC and a follow on public offer of NBCC

For the current fiscal the Budget has set a disinvestment target of Rs 56,500 crore. Of this, Rs 36,000 crore is estimated to come from minority stake sale in PSUs, and the remaining Rs 20,500 crore is projected to come from strategic sale in both profit and loss-making companies.