State-run banks' NPAs touched Rs 7.34 lakh cr by Q2-end

Mumbai, Dec 24 : Non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, of state-run banks amounted to a staggering Rs 7.34 lakh crore by the end of second quarter of the current fiscal ended September, most on account of corporate defaulters, according to data furnished by the RBI and the government.

Reserve Bank of India data earlier this week, however, showed that NPAs of private sector banks stood at a much lower level of around Rs 1.03 lakh crore by the end of the July-September quarter.

"The gross non-performing assets of public sector and private sector banks as on September 30, 2017 were Rs 7,33,974 crore and Rs 1,02,808 crore, respectively," a Finance Ministry statement said.

It said leading corporate entities and companies accounted for around 77 per cent of the total gross NPAs of banks from domestic operations.

Among the major government-owned banks, State Bank of India had the highest level of NPAs at over Rs 1.86 lakh crore, followed by Punjab National Bank (Rs 57,630 crore), Bank of India (Rs 49,307 crore), Bank of Baroda (Rs 46,307 crore), Canara Bank (Rs 39,164 crore) and the Union Bank of India (Rs 38,286 crore).

Up to end-September, among private banks, ICICI Bank had the most amount of NPAs at Rs 44,237 crore, followed by Axis Bank (Rs 22,136 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 7,644 crore) and Jammu and Kashmir Bank (Rs 5,983 crore).

The Ministry also said that the network of Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) have been expanded to 39 at present, as compared to 33 in 2016-17, which would help in reducing the pendency of cases and expedite their timely disposal.