Project Sashakt: Creating a bigger bad asset market is a good idea; but who will do the bankrolling?
FirstpostShould one be excited about the Narendra Modi government’s new bad loan resolution plan, Sashakt? Dumping all bad loans into one entity with no clear resolution plan was like putting together several tiny explosive materials to build a big bomb. On the face of it, the thrust of ‘Project Sashakt’, based on the recommendations of the Sunil Mehta-led panel, unlike ‘Mission Indradhanush’ that focused on several aspects of bank governance, is mainly creating a wider market for the speedy sale or resolution of stressed assets. The problem in bad asset resolution, in India, was always a lack of buyers with deep pockets, who can do the bankrolling for large buyouts of stressed assets. Creating a bigger bad asset resolution market under the proposed Sashakt plan is a good move.