MoP asks banks to be cautious when lending to discoms

The MoP has urged banks to exercise caution while giving loans to state power distribution utilities to avoid putting the financial system at risk. In November 2021, the MoP reportedly wrote to various financial institutions asking them to follow the prudential checks introduced by the Power Fin­ance Corporation and REC Limited before sanctioning loans to state electri­city distribution utilities. It is expected that restricted access to bank credit will push states to undertake reforms to make discoms viable. The outstanding subsidies to power discoms as of June 30, 2021 stood at Rs 718.65 billion, while government department dues stood at about Rs 520 billion.