Govt to provide sufficient funds to recapitalise banks: FM

Sydney; Government will provide sufficient funds to recapitalise public sector banks to ensure that they play a significant role in boosting growth, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

“Banks would be provided sufficient funds to recapitalise them,” he said after inaugurating a branch of Union Bank of India in Sydney, Australia.

Jaitley, who is on the on a 4-day visit to Australia, said that the banks have to play an important role in achieving the higher growth rate in the country.

Last year, the government announced a revamp plan ‘Indradhanush’ to infuse Rs 70,000 crore in state-owned banks over four years, while they will have to raise a further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from markets to meet their capital requirements in line with global risk norms Basel-III.

In line with the blueprint, PSU banks will get Rs 25,000 crore this fiscal and also in the next fiscal. Besides, Rs 10,000 crore each would be infused in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Union Bank of India is the 5th largest nationalized bank in India. Established in the year 1919, the bank has grown to a business mix of Rs 5,89,889 crore, with deposits of Rs 3,27,412 crore and advances of Rs 2,62,477 crore, as of December 2015.

PTI