The budget contains a multitude of numbers, one as important as the next. Here, Moneycontrol tells you which numbers matter the most and what they mean for the economy in 2024-25
BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has revised divestment target for FY24 and set a new one for FY25. Government is likely to miss divestment targets for fifth consecutive year. Privatization plans for BPCL, SCI, and CONCOR delayed due to pandemic. Strategic sale of CPSEs likely to be completed this year.
The Government of India is likely to miss its divestment target for the fifth year in a row. In the last Budget, the government had set a divestment target of ₹51,000 crore for FY24 and has garnered around ₹10,000 crore so far, which is just 20 percent of its original target.
Interim Budget 2024: India may set a lower divestment target for state firms in fiscal 2024-25, falling short of this year s goal to be the lowest in nine years. The government is unsure whether regulatory delays will allow it to complete the sale of a majority stake in IDBI Bank, which is expected to bring more than RS 200 billion into government coffers when completed.
Big ticket privatisation plans such as that of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and CONCOR are already on the backburner and analysts feel meaningful privatisation can happen only after April/May general elections.