<b>Subir Roy:</b> Stepchild of Union Budget

If there is one sector which the Budget has passed over, it is NPA-ridden public sector banks

If there is one sector which the Union Budget 2017-18 has virtually passed over, it is non-performing asset (NPA)-ridden public sector banks. A paltry Rs 10,000 crore has been allocated for the recapitalisation (last year it was Rs 25,000 crore) when, according to an estimate by S&P, the requirement is Rs 2.5 lakh crore. 

After the Budget, Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser, said he considered the toxic assets of banks an “intractable” problem as they go hand in hand with companies which are not healthy. There has to be a “political will” to solve this problem, which cannot be left