Asset Monetisation: A Step Towards Liberalisation and Privatisation–Strategic Issues

Abstract

Privatisation, a buzzword of the 20th century, has varied approaches; it could be a broad approach of liberalisation to introduce market forces without any change of ownership, termed as ‘partial privatisation’. In narrow terms, it refers to denationalisation or divestiture and change of ownership by sale to private individuals. Public sector in India has grown over the years and operational autonomy has been granted. Disinvestment of government shareholding, has been an annual budgetary exercise; it includes strategic sale. Of late, various disinvestment approaches that are followed include share buyback, cross shareholding offer for sale, follow-on public offer, block deal exchange trade fund. The realisation of disinvestment has been about 56% of the total, and new options have to be explored. Asset monetisation, an approach to encash assets with an objective to raise resources to finance new projects, is planned with an objective to develop infrastructure by involving private sector by following different forms of the publicÐprivate partnership approach. National Monetisation Policy (NMP) has been announced by the government of India to raise ₹600,000 crore over the period of next four years, that is, from 2022 to 25, to cover up the infrastructure gap. As such, monetisation of assetsÑcore as well as non-coreÑwould be a great step in achieving the objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat [self-reliant India], and India to become $5 trillion economy by 2024. Privatisation, liberalisation and asset monetisation appear to be a simple theoretical exercise; it would require planning for newer approaches to attract private funds and also to have political will.