- IDBI stake sale is in final stage with valuation and approvals underway
- DIPAM respects privacy and integrity of strategic investors in transactions
- CPSEs market cap grew fivefold and dividends increased fourfold in 12 years
The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management Secretary Arunish Chawla confirmed that the IDBI Stake sale has reached its final stage and stated that the government body is currently undertaking valuation and approvals, at the 'NDTV Profit Conclave: 2026'.
Chawla refrained from answering further questions citing the "privacy of strategic investors".
"We are careful about the privacy of strategic investors and the integrity of the transactions, the tweet we put out is worded very carefully, we do not give either the number or identity of bidders or any information that will help you figure it out," he said.
"Let us respect the integrity of the strategic transactions, no strategic transactions in the corporate sector are done in the glare of the media, on either side of the table there are institutional players, consortiums also listed in the markets, and regulators have faced," Chawla added.
When asked whether the stake sale would be part of the disinvetment and asset monetisation target for financial year 2027 as laid out by the Union Budget 2026-27, Chawla said, " I guess so."
The DIPAM Secretary also noted that the asset management body was emphasising upon the disbursment of dividends to minority stakeholders via its central public sector enterprises.
"The CPSEs, particularly the ones in the strategic sector, are doing extremely well, their market cap, has increased 5 times in the last 12 years." he said.
"Dividends paid to shareholders have gone up three and a half to four times in the same period. In the closing year of 2025-26, our CPSEs achieved a record profit of 3 lakh crores, distributed record dividend of 4 lakh crores," Chawla stated.
According to Chawla, market research showed that in comparison to Nifty 50, CPSEs have market cap of 10%, and have distributed as much as 25% of the entire dividend on the market.
He also stated that DIPAM was "happy" with the new Rs 80,000 crore target and highlighted the different avenues it was taking to undertake asset monetisation, including receiving approval to launch its first public InvIT.
"We are happy about the target, it is there because we want it to be there, we have also innovated and moved on, Rs 80,000 crore target you are talking about, includes not just traditional disinvestment, land sale, includes all the innovative forms of asset monetisation, for example, in December we got first approval to launch the first public INVit," Chawla said.
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