At 10:27 IST, the BSE PSU index moved up 3.30% to 8,743.10. It outperformed the Sensex, which was up 1% at 16,225.07.
The BSE PSU index had outperformed the market over the past one month till 5 November 2009, falling 3.82% as compared to the Sensex 4.76% fall. It underperformed the market in past one quarter, falling 0.41% as against 1.01% rise in the Sensex.
State Trading Corporation Of India (up 14.40% at Rs 352.65), MMTC (up 12.59% at Rs 33,916), Dredging Corporation Of India (up 10.09% at Rs 498.40), Hindustan Copper (up 10% at Rs 256.35), NMDC (up 10% at Rs 338.40), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (up 8.88% to Rs 71.75), Engineers India (up 6.78% at Rs 1,274), NHPC (up 6.17% at Rs 32.70), Neyveli Lignite Corporation (up 4.20% at Rs 136.50), and Allahabad Bank (up 3.86% at Rs 127.85), spurted.
According to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)'s decision, all the listed and profitable Central Public Sector Enterprises would have to maintain a minimum of 10% public shareholding. There are public sector units (PSUs) such as MMTC in which the government's stake is more than 90%.
The CCEA also approved a proposal entailing unlisted firms with three-year track record of net profit and positive networth will have to come out with Initial Public Offerings.
The said move by the government is likely to bolster the presence of PSUs in the bourses. At present, there are over 40 listed state-run companies and over 100 others, including BSNL, qualify for listing.
The funds from such sale would be directly deployed for social sector schemes, instead of being routed through the National Investment Fund (NIF).
In its second term, the Congress-led government has already paved the way for listing of two PSUs, NHPC and Oil India, and the latest decision would result in more PSUs hitting the capital market.
Mr Singh's government believes that divestment is not selling family jewels, but it is essential to save the nation's finances. The government is staring at a fiscal deficit of 6.8% this year, a 16-year high. If the estimated sale happens, Mr Singh would break the divestment record set by the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, which raised $6 billion between 1999 and 2004.
Use of disinvestment proceeds would free up government resources to that extent or bring down its fiscal deficit in line with targets set in the road map. The government targets fiscal deficit at 5.5% in 2010-11 and 4% in 2011-12.
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