Government to reinitiate the process of strategic disinvestment of Air India

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, She said that the Central government has set to generate Rs 1.05 lakh crore through disinvestment of public sector undertakings during the current financial year - 2019-20. 

She also said that the strategic disinvestment of Air India (AI) will be reinitiated while presenting the Budget 2019-20. 

While presenting the budget she said, "Strategic disinvestment of select CPSEs would continue to remain a priority of this Government. In view of current macro-economic parameters, the government would not only reinitiate the process of strategic disinvestment of Air India but would offer more CPSEs for strategic participation by the private sector." 

The Finance Minister also said the government is considering to go below 51 per cent to an appropriate level of the ownership stake in non-financial public sector undertakings on a case by case basis.

The government of India has made series of attempts to bring the national carrier Air India into the profit-making zone but all its attempts in the past have gone in vain and now the speculations are rife that the Modi 2.0 Government is mulling seriously to divest Air India in FY20.