Reportedly notwithstanding the opposition being raised by the employees of Air india, the government appears to keen on moving ahead with the disinvestment in the national carrier. Meanwhile the first signs came when the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it clear in her budget speech in Parliament that the government has intentions of selling off the airline. Furthermore the huge target of over Rs 1 lakh crore that the FM set for disinvestment cannot be achieved if it does not include Air india.
It is now being reported that the government wants to find a suitable buyer as soon as possible and will roll out road shows to highlight the virtues of taking over the airline. Furthermore the government has expressed its willingness to even meet with the interested buyers, if required, even if they have not joined in the expression of interest race. Apparently the prospective bidders may be allowed to inspect portions of the airline’s accounts apart from the proposed agreement for purchase of the shares.
Moreover these details have been reported out of information provided by sources and not exactly confirmed by either Air india officially or any government sources. According to these sources, the government may allow the bidders to offer their suggestions for changes in the terms of the agreement. Moreover it may be recalled that the government made one attempt at trying to partially disinvest in Air india but did not succeed. It is then that the government reviewed the decision.
