Govt to infuse Rs 15,500 cr in PSU banks in 2012-13

The government on Friday said it will infuse about Rs 15,500 crore in the public sector banks during the current financial year to enhance their financial strength.

"I understand the problems, the constraints under which the Indian banking system are suffering for some time. We are trying to help them as you have noticed in the last two years in order to build up the capital adequacy of the Indian banking system particularly public sector banks, I have injected Rs 32,000 crore," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi.

"To improve the capital adequacy of the public sector banks, I am going to provide around Rs 1,500 crore in 2012-13 because we want our banks should have adequate capital so that they can be in a position to compete with the others. We can fully come to expectations and reach the parameters of the Basel III norms," he said at the 118th foundation day function of Punjab National Bank.

In 2010-11, the government pumped in Rs 20,157 crore for infusion in public sector banks to maintain tier I capital at 8 per cent and increase the government equity in some banks to 58 per cent in 2010-11.

In 2011-12, public sector banks got Rs 12,000 crore for improving their capital adequacy ratio.