Percentage of NPAs contributed by discoms in PSBs is 4.10%

Total percentage of non-performing assets contributed by discoms in Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as of March 2015, was 4.10 per cent, Parliament was informed today.
"The total percentage of Non-Performing Assets contributed by discoms (electricity generation transportation, distribution) in the Public Sector Banks is 4.10 per cent as on March, 2015. PSBs advance as on March, 2015 is Rs 4,82,451 crore," Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
The minister said it was reported that the power projects were facing problems on account of tariff under-recovery, inadequate feedstock and poor electricity offtake by discoms, dwindling fuel supplies from Krishna-Godavari basin.

"To address the same, government has launched Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana that focuses on strengthening financial and operational aspects of Discoms, enabling quarterly tariff increase, improving operational efficiency, lower cost of power, take-over of 75 per cent state Discom debt by state governments," he said.
Sinha said for gas-based power projects, the government has started auctioning re-gasified Liquified Natural Gas (RLNG) along the power sector development fund (PSDF) support to stranded power projects in June 2015, adding,"an amount of Rs 7,500 crore has been earmarked as PSDF support for two years."
In a reply to a separate query, Sinha said the total amount of refunds paid during financial year 2014-15 on account of processing of returns was Rs 1,12,188 crore.

Referring to withdrawal of exemption customs duties on 76 specified drugs, he informed that keeping in view the likely impact of prices and availability of these drugs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommended to restore exemption of custom duties on these drugs namely, Octreotide, Somatropin and Anti-Haemophobia.
"Accordingly, the exemption customs duties have been restored on these 3 drugs," Sinha said.