PJ Nayak Committee Recommendations

An RBI-constituted committee led by PJ Nayak Tuesday (13.05.2014) submitted its recommendations to improve the governance structure of state-owned banks and also to help private sector banks attract more capital. Following are the key commendations of the panel:

1. Given poor asset quality and low productivity, either privatize PSU banks or transform governance structure to make them efficient.

2. Reduce government stake in PSU banks to less than 50 percent.

3. Remove dual structure of both Finance Ministry and RBI regulating PSU banks. Give all regulatory authority to RBI  

4. Improve quality of PSU bank board discussions; focus on key areas like business strategy, financial reports, risk, and compliance.  

5. The government should transfer its stake in PSU banks to a holding company termed Bank Investment Company  

6. Government should reduce its stake in BIC to under 50 percent and appoint a professional management for BIC  

7. For better accountability, BIC should be governed by The Companies Act 2013, and not the Bank Nationalisation Acts of 1970 and 1980

8. Ownership functions to be transferred by BIC to the bank boards. Appointments of directors, CEO to be the responsibility of bank boards.  

9. Have uniform bank licensing regime across all broad-based banks, and niche licenses for banks with more narrowly defined businesses.

10. Allow mutual funds , pension funds, PE funds to hold 20 percent in private sector banks, without having to take RBI approval.

11. Allow promoter investors to hold up to 25 percent in private sector banks, against the 15 percent ceiling currently  

12. Ensure a minimum five-year tenure for bank Chairmen and a minimum three year tenure for Executive Directors

 13. Private equity funds, including sovereign wealth funds, be permitted to take a controlling stake of upto 40 per cent in distressed banks

14. Allow voting rights in proportion to the stake held

15. Bank officers guilty of ever-greening loans (offering new loans to repay old ones) should be penalized financially 

Courtesy: Money control