It is a matter of serious concern that the amount of bad loans/Non Performing Assets in the Banks
increasing and equally disturbing is the huge write off of such bad loans in favour of the big corporate
companies who take loans from the Banks and do not repay.
Few days ago, in a written reply to the Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has informed
that during the last four years from 2019 to 2022, public sector banks and private sector banks have
written off bad loans to the extent of Rs. 8,48,186 crores.
Replying to the discussion on this Question, Finance Minister said that this amount is not actually
written off and the same would be recovered.
In another reply, the Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Karad has informed that in the last five
years from 2018 to 2022, Banks have written off Rs. 10,09,510 crores. Mr. Karad further informed that
out of these loans written off, only Rs. 1,32,036 crores have been recovered. This clearly shows that
against loans written off, only 13 % was actually recovered and the Banks have lost the balance 87% i.e.
Rs. 8,77,474 crores. Still Nirmala Sitharaman has informed the Parliament that the written off loans are
being recovered. This is only hoodwinking the people of our country.
Finance Minister also says that the names of the corporate companies for whom the loans have been
written off cannot be revealed because of secrecy clause under Sec. 45E of the RBI Act, 1934. Nobody
is preventing this Government to amend that provision to enable disclosure of the names of the
borrowers who take loans from the Banks and cheat the Banks by not repaying the loans and ultimately
these huge loans are written off. We demand that the RBI Act should be suitably amended in this regard
and Government should publish the names of the beneficiaries of the write off.
