(ET)
The government may come up with the highest-ever divestment target of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the Budget come February. Sources told ET Now that the government may draw up a list of PSUs where stakes will be reduced below 51 per cent next year. The closure of NEEPCP and THDC sale to NTPC is likely before FY20-end. Another tranche of PSU ETF is likely before the end of this financial year.
DIPAM is pushing for corporatisation of LIC and The Airports Authority of India (AAI) to help list the companies. It is eyeing about Rs 90,000 crore from the completion of BPCL and Concor stake sale in the first half of FY21, sources said. Analysts are anyway keeping low expectations from the Rs 1.05 lakh crore disinvestment target for FY20 set in the Budget earlier this year, following reports of delays in privatisation of BPCL. So far, the government has raised just Rs 17,364.26 crore through disinvestment proceeds with no strategic sale for the year. There are concerns over the fiscal deficit as a few reports already suggested the privatisation of BPCL was unlikely this calendar.
