Listed public sector banks (PSBs) posted a 20 per cent rise in operating profit at Rs 1,51,534 crore in 2016-17, an improvement over the 3.6 per cent drop in 2015-16. The provisions and contingencies, that predominantly capture amounts set aside for bad loans jumped 87.5 per cent to Rs 1,50,599 crore in FY16. It was the direct effect of Reserve Bank of India’s asset quality review to the clean up bank books. In FY17 the per cent increase in provisions over FY16 was much smaller (1.7 per cent). But in absolute numbers, it was higher at Rs 1,53,146 crore for