The Competition Commission of India on Tuesday gave approval to state-owned financial institution Power Finance Corporation (PFC) for the acquisition of 52 per cent stake in REC. The government is expected to garner around Rs 15,000 crore from this sale process.
In December 2018, the cabinet committee on economic affairs as well as the board of PFC had given in-principle approval for the strategic sale. In a tweet on Tuesday, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it “approves acquisition of 52 per cent shareholding in REC Ltd by Power Finance Corporation Ltd.”
The government’s shareholding stood at 57.99 per cent in REC, and 65.64 per cent in PFC at the end of the September quarter. However, the government holding in Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) had come down to 52.63 per cent following stake sale through exchange traded funds (ETFs).
At the end of 2017-18, the total resources of REC stood over Rs 2.46 lakh crore, of which reserves were Rs 33,515.59 crore. The net worth of the company was Rs 35,490 crore and cash and bank balance was Rs 1,773 crore at the end of March 2018. PFC’s reserves and surplus stood at Rs 37,221 crore, and cash and bank balance stood at Rs 4,600 crore at the end of March 2018.