கிராம வங்கி முதலீடுகள் மாற்றமா?

கிராம வங்கிகளின் முதலீட்டாளர்களாக மத்திய அரசும், மாநில அரசும், ஸ்பான்ஸர் வங்கிகளும் இருந்து வருகின்றன. இதில் அரசு 50 சதவீதமும், ஸ்பான்ஸர் வங்கிகள் 35 சதவீதமும், மாநில அரசு 15 சதவீதமும் பங்குதாரர்களாக இருக்கின்றனர். கிராம வங்கிகளில் மறுமுதலீடு (Recapitalisation) செய்ய சில மாநில அரசுகள் தயக்கம் காட்டுவதால், மத்திய அரசு இந்த முதலீடுகள் குறித்து மறுபரிசீலனை செய்து வருவதாகத் தெரிகிறது.

சென்ற வருடங்களில் கிராம வங்கிகளில் மறுமுதலீட்டிற்காக மத்திய அரசு 2200 கோடி ஒதுக்கியுள்ளது. சில மாநில அரசுகள் தங்களுக்குரிய பங்கினைச் செலுத்த முன் வராததால், முழுமையாக மறுமுதலீடு செய்வதில் தடங்கல்கள் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளன.

மேலும், மத்திய அரசு மாநில அளவில் கிராம வங்கிகளை ஒன்றிணைக்கும் (amalgamation) ஏற்பாடுகளில் ஈடுபட்டு வருகிறது. இதனால் கிராம வங்கிகள், மிகப் பெரிய வங்கிகளாக உருவாகும் நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இவற்றிற்கு அதிகமாக முதலீடு செய்ய வேண்டியிருக்கும் எனவும் சில மாநில அரசுகள் யோசிப்பதாகவும் சொல்லப்படுகிறது.

இந்த நிலையில், கிராம வங்கிகளில் முதலீட்டாளர்கள் குறித்து மத்திய அரசு மறுபரிசீலனை செய்து வருவதாகவும், அதற்காக RRB ACT-இல் திருத்தம் கொண்டு வர இருப்பதாகவும் தெரிகிறது. இதன் மூலம் கிராம வங்கிகளை தனியார் மயமாக்கும் முயற்சிகளை மறைமுகமாக அரசு செய்கிறது என சந்தேகங்களும் எழுந்துள்ளன.

இதுகுறித்து வந்த பத்திரிகை செய்தி:
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Government plans flexible equity norms for RRBs

All stakeholders are required to infuse capital into regional rural banks, but some states have not been doing so

Remya Nair

New Delhi: The finance ministry is considering a flexible equity structure for regional rural banks (RRBs) by amending the RRB Act in an effort to ensure their recapitalization.


Under the current laws governing RRBs, the Union government has a 50% stake, the sponsor bank 35%, and the remaining 15% is held by the state government, and capital has to be infused in the same proportion by all three stakeholders.
The Centre’s recapitalization plan for these banks has hit a roadblock, with some of the states refusing to contribute their share of the money.
“We are working on the draft of the amendment. The current equity holding rules are very rigid. There needs to be some amount of flexibility in the equity holding of RRBs,” said a finance ministry official, requesting anonymity. “States do not put in capital, the whole capitalization of RRBs gets blocked as we insist that all three stakeholders should put in capital together.”

A committee constituted under the chairmanship of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor K.C. Chakrabarty had recommended in May 2010 that the capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) for RRBs be increased to 9% by 31 March 2012. Most RRBs that require capital infusion have a CRAR of around 7% currently.

The cabinet had approved a Rs. 2,200 crore recapitalization plan for 40 RRBs in February. But due to the reluctance of some state governments to contribute, the Union government has so far been able to top up the capital of only 13 RRBs.

The government has also initiated the process of merging smaller RRBs with larger ones. “We are trying to merge RRBs with a network of less than 100 branches with larger RRBs situated in the same state. Post the consolidation process, there may be around 50 RRBs,” said the official cited above.

Recapitlization of RRBs is important as they give loans mostly to small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers and rural artisans operating in a few districts in a state and aid in the priority-sector lending efforts of sponsor banks. But a negative net worth due to the lack of recapitalization had impacted the lending capacity of these entities.

Currently there are 82 RRBs in India with 16,000 branches, constituting more than half the network of commercial banks in rural districts.

These banks together account for about 80% of the credit to the priority sectors, according to government estimates.

“Though there was some initial reluctance on the part of the state governments to release capital, it is not the case now. But with the central government coming up a with an amalgamation plan, bigger RRBs will be created having larger capital requirements,” said a senior official with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. He declined to be identified.

“State governments may be reluctant in the future to put in such a large amount. It makes sense to foresee the problem beforehand and take corrective steps,” he said.

The government, however, is yet to decide whether another entity besides the state and Union governments, and the sponsor banks will be allowed to acquire stakes in the RRBs. “It has not yet been decided if the state government will have to sell its stake to the existing stake holders only,” said another finance ministry official, also requesting anonymity.

“We have not heard anything from the government on this. But it could solve problem of recapitalization of RRBs as it would lessen dependence on states,” said the chairman and managing director of a public sector bank.