Monday, August 20, 2012

NRB may reject proposal to stop auctioning of six ailing firms

KATHMANDU, Aug 19, 2012

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), central monetary authority, can reject a proposal from the Ministry of Industry (MoI) to stop bank and financial institutions (BFIs) from auctioning the properties of six ailing industries that have long been defaulting loan.

The central bank source clarified that it was not in a position to prevent banks and financial institutions (BFIs) from auctioning the assets of the industries that have failed to make timely repayment of loan and stated that it would be against the existing laws.

NRB source stated that existing Bank and Financial Institution Act (BAFIA) doesn´t allow the monetary regulator to stop BFIs from auctioning the properties of those ailing industries until the government take decision for the special treatment of those industries regarding loan payment.

“NRB can´t direct any BFIs not to go ahead with auctioning the properties of debtors industries that have long been defaulting loan. Protection of industries from getting their properties auctioned is not possible unless government make special arrangement for those industries for their relief,” NRB source told Republica.

TheThe Ministry of Industry (MoI) had recently written to the NRB requesting to protect six struggling industries- Birat Leather Industries, Birat Shoes Company, Everest Floriculture, Nepal Boards- producers of wooden goods, Siris Herbal Company and Dolphin Manor Wildlife Resort. The letter had requested NRB to stop the auctioning of the assets of six industries for the next six months.

“NRB can prevent the auctioning of their properties only in the case if the government issues gazette provisioning that sick industries get such privilege,” the source added.

The government had formed a 8-member Sick-Industries Rehabilitation High-Level Task Force (SIRHLTF) led by Dipendra Bahadur Kshetry, vice-chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) in a bid to seek measures to the ailing industries. However, the ministry, which has been assigned to identify actual sick industries in the country, has just started the study.

The government has already formed around a dozen committees over a decade to study the situation of the ailing industries and recommend measures to rejuvenate them. Though each of the panel suggested different measures, they never came up with a specific criteria to define sick industries.

Source: Republica

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