Page 19 - Banking Finance August 2021
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         electro chemical technologies that can  a big-ticket privatisation agenda, in-  Lenders back inclusion of
         be used for such large-scale grid bat-  cluding privatisation of two public sec-
         teries to store the energy that we will  tor banks and one general insurance  education loans in ECLGS
         create," he said. RIL will collaborate  company.                      Adding collateral-free education loans
         with global leaders in battery technol-  As part of the divestment strategy for  to the programme of state-backed
         ogy to achieve the highest reliability  the financial sector, the government  loans for several sectors being rolled
         for round-the-clock power availability  has decided to go for a mega initial  out would help lenders recoup losses,
         through a combination of generation,  public offering (IPO) of Life Insurance  according to bankers.
         storage, and grid connectivity, he said.  Corporation of India (LIC) and residual  There could be some cushion in the
         Ambani also announced that Google  stake sale in IDBI Bank during the fi-  education loans segment, which has
         and Jio teams have jointly developed a  nancial year beginning April.  one of the highest levels of delinquen-
         smartphone - Jiophone Next - which  The government has budgeted Rs 1.75  cies, if the government includes it in
         will be launched on September 10.                                     the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee
                                            lakh crore from stake sale in public
                                            sector companies and financial institu-  Scheme (ECLGS), the bankers said.
         Department of public en-           tions during 2021-22.              "The total education loan portfolio has
         terprises to come under                                               a 9.55% bad loan ratio, it is greater for
                                                                               loans of up to Rs. 4 lakh, where collat-
         finance ministry                   GST collections below Rs.          eral is not needed," said a private sec-
         The government has brought Depart- 1 Lakh cr                          tor banker on condition of anonymity.

         ment of Public Enterprises (DPE) under  Goods and Services Tax (GST) collec-  So far, banks and non-bank financiers
         the Finance Ministry in a bid facilitate  tions fell below Rs 1 lakh crore for the  have given out loans of Rs. 2.69 trillion
         its   ambitious    disinvestment   first time in eight months in June, as  to 11 million small enterprises under
         programme. Earlier, DPE was part of  per government data released. The  ECLGS. The outlay, Union finance min-
         Ministry of Heavy Industries and Pub-  gross GST revenue collected in the  ister Nirmala Sitharaman said on 28
         lic Enterprises.                   month of June is Rs 92,849 crore.  June, has been increased to Rs. 4.5
         "Ministry   of   Finance    (Vitta  Of this, CGST stands at Rs 16,424  trillion from Rs. 3 trillion.
         Mantralaya), after the sub-heading (v)  crore, SGST at Rs 20,397 crore, IGST
         Department of Financial Services   at Rs 49,079 crore including Rs 25,762  Cabinet approves Rs.
         (Vittiya Sewayen Vibhag), following  crore collected on goods imports. The
         sub-heading shall be inserted, namely:-  total cess collected was Rs 6,949 crore  23,123-cr Covid fund
         (vi) Department of Public Enterprises  including Rs 809 crore collected on  The Union cabinet approved a Rs
         (Lok Udyam Vibhag)" as per the Cabi-  goods imports.                  23,123-crore financial package for im-
         net Secretariat notification dated July  "The above figure includes GST collec-  proving health infrastructure in the
         6, 2021.                                                              country to fight the Covid pandemic.
                                            tion from domestic transactions be-
         The gazette notification issued said  tween June 5 to July 5, 2021, since tax-  Addressing a press conference here
         these rules may be called the Govern-  payers were given various relief mea-  after the first meeting of the Union
         ment of India (Allocation of Business)  sures in the form of waiver/reduction in  cabinet following its reshuffle, Health
         Three Hundred and Sixty First Amend-  interest on delayed return filing for 15  Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the
         ment Rules, 2021.                  days for the return filing month June 21  package will be implemented over the
         "They shall come into force at once,"  for the taxpayers with the aggregate  next nine months till March 2022.
         the notification said. With the addi-  turnover up to Rs. 5 crore in the wake  The meeting was chaired by Prime
         tion, this will be the sixth department  of covid pandemic second wave," said  Minister Narendra Modi.
         under the Finance Ministry. The rejig  the government in a press release.  Mandaviya said this is the second
         comes ahead of Cabinet expansion   The government also indicated that it  phase of the Emergency Response and
         slated later in the day.           settled Rs 19,286 crore to CGST and Rs  Health System Preparedness Package
         Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman  16,939 crore to SGST from IGST as  as the Central government had given
         in her Budget 2021-22 had announced  regular settlement.              Rs 15,000 crore earlier for setting up


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