Shares of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JP Associates) are in focus on Wednesday morning after a media report suggested that the debt-laden company offered Rs 16,000 crore to lenders as settlement offer in a bid to avoid bankruptcy.
As per the proposal, JP Associates offered to pay an upfront amount of Rs 4,000 crore, nine months from the date lenders agree to the settlement, The Economic Times reported quoting people aware of the negotiations. For this, JP Associates plans to bring in investors and selling some of its assets. Out of the remaining Rs 12,000 crore payment, a majority payment is seen coming in only after three years, ET quoted two people aware of the details as saying.
The JP Associates stock climbed 4.88 per cent to close at Rs 6.66 apiece on Tuesday. The scrip has lost 68.89 per cent of its value in 2024 so far. It hit a 52-week high of Rs 27.17 in February this year.
Lenders, on the other hand, are still evaluating the government-backed National Asset Reconstruction Co's (NARCL) Rs 12,000-crore offer. At present, JP Associates' appeal against its admission into insolvency is with the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
ET quoting a person aware of the negotiations saying that the offer includes a lot of assumptions and a long payment timeline, which is not very attractive and that has been conveyed to JP Associates by the banks.
There are Rs 57,190 crore worth admitted claims against JP Associates, which is the second-biggest unresolved insolvency case pending before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Videocon Industries has the biggest case with NCLT as it owed Rs 65,000 crore to banks.