Fifteen telecom companies owe the government Rs 92,642 crore in unpaid licence fee and another Rs 55,054 crore in outstanding spectrum usage charges.
Among the key proposals of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's maiden Budget was extending the Section 80C tax advantage to PSU ETFs. However, the proposal is yet to be notified
Asset sales for raising Rs 1 trillion is a mirage
The rise in new projects is despite a fall in capacity utilisation
The CAG also pulled up the government for including the income from investment in SUUTI as part of the disinvestment proceeds leading to overstatement of Rs 1,400 crore
The panel said it is concerned to note that huge amount of dues are outstanding from the state and other utilities for years
Market players say privatisation buzz, hopes of hefty dividends post tax cut, and buyback arbitrage had kept many of the PSU counters ticking
The government has set up a committee of secretaries to look into all issues
The core group of secretaries on disinvestment has recently approved the disinvestment of five public sector undertakings PSUs
Market observers believe that PSUs have been under pressure since 2018
India's largest bank by assets, State Bank of India (SBI) and the sole stock to hang on to this elite list was evicted last week, with its market-cap out falling below that of Bajaj Finance
Target years for reaching the desired fiscal deficit are pushed back; and when FMs are unable to get close to targets, they fudge the books and push the burden on to hapless PSUs, writes T N Ninan
Clearer commercial focus and tighter financial discipline may yield a steady steam of dividends
There has also been a sharp dip in cash reserves available with PSUs
Apex court asks trial court magistrate to try and finish trial against BSNL employees within one year
FM Sitharaman said strategic disinvestment of select central PSUs would remain priority for this government
Traditionally, most PSUs have been cash-rich, which added to their value. However, the government has been tapping regularly into their cash resources to boost revenue for the exchequer
The last five years have been the worst for listed central public sectors enterprises in 15 years.
The present government needs to work out a consensus among major political parties not to make election promises that will adversely affect national interests