RBI names advisory committee to assist administrator of 2 Srei group firms

After superseding the boards of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (SIFL) and Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL) on Monday, the RBI has appointed a three-member Advisory Committee to assist the administrator of the two crisis-ridden firms.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) superseded the board of directors of SIFL and SEFL and appointed Rajneesh Sharma, ex-chief general manager, Bank of Baroda, as the administrator.

"The Reserve Bank...has constituted a three-member Advisory Committee to assist the Administrator in discharge of his duties," the central bank said in a statement.

The members of the Advisory Committee are -- R Subramaniakumar (former MD and CEO, Indian Overseas Bank), T T Srinivasaraghavan (former managing director, Sundaram Finance Limited), and Farokh N Subedar (former chief operating officer and company secretary, Tata Sons Limited).

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Insolvency and Liquidation Proceedings of Financial Service Providers and Application to Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2019 provide for the concerned financial sector regulator appointing a Committee of Advisors to advise the administrator in the operations of the financial service provider during the corporate insolvency resolution process.

Srei group, which mainly caters to the MSME and infrastructure sectors, owes around Rs 18,000 crore to around 15 lenders, including Axis Bank, UCO Bank and State Bank of India, and another nearly Rs 10,000 crore of external commercial borrowings and bonds.