Identify PSUs for stake sale: Govt to ministries

“We have written to 32 secretaries of nodal ministries to identify the PSUs for disinvestment. These include various ministries across the sector. We have asked them to respond by the end of this month,” a senior Disinvestment Department official told PTI.

He said the disinvestment department wants details of public sector undertakings that meet the sell-off criteria.

The Cabinet in November had decided to increase public holding in all listed central public sector enterprises to 10 per cent and to list all unlisted profitable state-owned entities.

Earlier, the disinvestment department had said it is in talks with 60 CPSUs, including SAIL, BSNL, Coal India, for selling of government stake.

Disinvestment Secretary Sunil Mitra said there are 10 listed PSUs where the public holding is less than 10 per cent and around 50 state-run firms which are profitable but unlisted.  

In pursuance of its divestment programme, the government had offloaded its stake in Oil India and NHPC earlier this fiscal. It has also unveiled plans to reduce its shareholding in NTPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and Rural Electrification Corporation.