Sunday, January 10, 2010

More PSUs may be divested


NEW DELHI, Jan 10 (PTI): After the planned divestment in four more public sector enterprises this fiscal, the Centre will identify more candidates for public offers for the next two years.

The Government is also planning to change the criteria of appointing investment bankers so that only those advisors with deep-pockets do not qualify for this purpose, an official close to the development said.

The Government plans to divest stakes in NTPC in the last week of January or early February, followed by REC just before the Budget (likely on February 26), NMDC by March 10, and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam by the end of March, which will together fetch around Rs 30,000 crore to the Exchequer.

"After we are through with these disinvestment plans, we will identify public sector enterprises where the Government could offload its stakes in the next two years," the official informed.

The Disinvestment Department has already asked 32 nodal ministries to identify state-run firms where the government stake could be sold, a senior official had said earlier.

As per the recently cleared criteria by the Cabinet, around 60 PSUs, including MMTC, BSNL, Neyveli Lignite Corp, Engineers India, State Trading Corp, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers, National Fertilisers and Andrew Yule, are eligible for stake sale.

TRS chief moves PM on Telangana


NEW DELHI, Jan 10 – TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pushing for early steps by the Centre for formation of a separate Telangana state, reports PTI. Sources said the prime minister impressed upon Rao the need for maintaining peace and normalcy with other regions of Andhra Pradesh–coastal Andhra and Rayal-seema– before the Centre could think of next steps.

Rao is understood to have told the prime minister that even if the Centre wants to carry forward discussions it should be done by Home Minister P Chidambaram himself and not by any Committee.

The TRS chief is said to be opposed to constitution of any mechanism to hold deliberations on Telangana as is being speculated.