'Govt not to divest further stake in NTPC, NHPC'

The Government is not looking to divest any further stake in state-owned NTPC and NHPC, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr S.S. Palanimanickam, told the Lok Sabha on Friday.“At present, there is no proposal to divest further equity in NHPC and NTPC,” the Minister told the House. The Government now owns 86.36 per cent stake in NHPC and 84.50 per cent stake in NTPC.

In August 2009, the Government divested 5 per cent equity capital in NHPC, raising Rs 2,012.85 crore from the sale.The sale of 5 per cent equity capital in NTPC, in August of the same year, netted the Government Rs 8,840 crore.The Government has already indicated that it plans to raise Rs 40,000 crore during the current financial year, through the disinvestment of stake in 10 more Public Sector Undertakings including Coal India, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and Shipping Corporation, among others.