PSBs are stable now after PCA, says Sitharaman

Chennai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that India's public sector banks are stable now after the prompt corrective actions (PCA) when it was caught in turbulence.

Speaking at the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank's (TMB) centenary celebrations in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman said prior to 2014, the public sector banks were facing various problems.

The public sector banks were laden with huge non-performing assets (NPA) which was a serious concern for the future of the banking sector itself, she said.

According to her, the government infused additional capital into public sector banks as a problem in the banking sector would impact the entire economic activity.

It was then prompt corrective action was taken and the public sector banks are back on the rails now, she said.

Even as the banking sector was in turbulence, TMB was carrying out its business efficiently, Sitharaman added.

Pointing out that the way forward is digitisation, she said technology-related solutions take away a lot of other problems.

Even without a branch in a place, banking services can be offered now through digitisation, she said. According to her, using financial technology one can cross populate data and one can assess credit rating which is possible only with digitisation.

Appreciating TMB, which was started as a Nadar community bank in 1921 and now gained universal acceptance, she also referred to TMB's deposit base of Rs 41,000 crore and advance a portfolio of Rs 32,000 crore to point out the need for efficiency.

"If that is the rapidity with which you are using the money to make more businesses work, it is possible to be more efficient if you adopt complete technology-related solutions," Sitharaman said.