1913 wilful defaulters together owe Rs 1.46 LAKH CRORE to banks as on Jun 2020: RBI

Agencies
December 17, 2020

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Hyderabad, Dec 17: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said there are 1,913 wilful defaulters, who together owed Rs 1.46 lakh crore to banks as on June 2020.

Pune-based RTI activist Vivek Velankar had filed the RTI application with RBI to get information on wilful defaulters.

He said, "The information shared by RBI reveals that there are 264 wilful defaulters who defaulted on a loan of Rs 100 crore and above owe Rs 1,08,527 crore to banks.

Sharing with UNI, the RBI information to Mr Velankar, All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) General Secretary Ch Venkatachalam on Thursday said, 'While the common borrowers are struggling with repaying equated monthly instalments (EMIs) of their loans and also face harassment for missing a single EMI, big and wilful defaulters seem to not only go scot-free but also 'live life king-size' without any worry or fear of any action due to the the banks, especially the public sector banks (PSBs), turning a blind eye on these lapses.'

He said there are 23 defaulters with an outstanding of over Rs 1,000 crore and their dues accrue to Rs 43,324 crore.

Wilful defaulters who owe between Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore to banks are 34 and their outstanding is Rs 22,105 crore.

There are 207 wilful defaulters in the Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore default range and together they owe Rs 43,095 crore to Public Sector Banks.

RBI told Mr Velankar that the concerned banks have filed cases to recover their dues from these wilful defaulters. While RBI shared this information under the RTI, Mr Velankar felt since banks are submitting these lists of wilful defaulters under a regulatory mandate, the central bank should suo motu publish this information on its website to create awareness among citizens and bank customers.

Topping the wilful defaulters' list is Mehul Choksi's scam-hit company Gitanjali Gems Limited, which owed Rs 5,747.05 crore, besides other group companies, Gili India Limited and Nakshatra Brands Limited, which had taken loans of Rs 1,446 crore and Rs 1,109.16 crore, respectively.

The second on the list is REI Agro Limited, with an amount of Rs. 3,516 crore, and its Directors Sandip Jhujhunwala and Sanjay Jhunjhunwala are already under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the past more than a year.

The next on the list is Frost International Limited with an outstanding of Rs 3,097.64 crore.

It is followed by the absconding diamantaire Jatin Mehta's Winsome Diamonds & Jewellery owing Rs 2,975.73 crore and which is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for various bank frauds.

Kanpur-based writing instruments giant, Rotomac Global Private Limited, part of the famed Kothari group, is next on the list with an outstanding of Rs 2,530.95 crore.

The others among the top-10 wilful defaulters include, Kudos Chemie, Punjab (Rs 1,948.12 crore), ABG Shipyard Limited (Rs 1,874.90 crore), Transstroy (India) Limited (Rs 1,861.11 crore) and Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds Private Limited (Rs1,653.25 crore).

Another bad-boy of bank defaults, Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines Limited is at the 15th place on the list with dues of Rs 1,335.26 crore.

Interestingly, the outstanding debts are higher compared with the information shared by the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) in July this year, Mr Venkatachalam said.

As part of its nationwide campaign to celebrate the bank nationalisation day, the AIBEA had released a list of wilful defaulters of the PSBs.

The Mehul Choksi-owned Gitanjali Gems Limited, with its default of Rs. 4,644 crore to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) topped the list.

It was followed by ABG Shipyard Limited (Rs1,875 crore, owed to the State Bank of India-SBI), REI Agro Limited (Rs 1,745 crore, UCO Bank), Ruchi Soya Industries Limited (Rs1,618 crore, SBI), Gili India Limited (Rs1,447 core, PNB), Winsome Diamonds & Jewellery Limited (Rs 1,390 crore, Central Bank of India CBI), Kudos Chemie Limited (Rs1,301 crore, PNB), Nakshatra Brands Limited (Rs 1,109 crore, PNB), Coastal Projects Limited (Rs 984 crore, SBI) and Winsome Diamonds & Jewellery Limited (Rs 892 crore, PNB).

These top 10 defaulters together had an outstanding of Rs 17,005 crore to state-run lenders.

Information provided by RBI to Mr Velankar does not reveal names of the banks who had given these loans, the top union leader however said, data shared by AIBEA shows that among the 17 public sector lenders, SBI has the highest number of wilful defaulters at 685, who together had defaulted on loans of Rs 43,887 crore.

It is followed by PNB, which has 325 wilful defaulters with an outstanding of Rs 22,370 crore.

The data shared by the bank employees’ union, however, has no information about wilful defaulters in Union Bank of India (UBI) and IDBI Bank Limited.

Earlier, UBI, which had written off Rs. 26,027 crore as bad loans in past years, have stalled an RTI query from Mr Velankar on recoveries and on sharing names of big defaulters’ whose bad debt of Rs 100 crore and above were written off.

"Public sector banks as well as the union government need to show some willingness and take steps to recover these dues from wilful defaulters. In fact, if the cases against wilful defaulter are decided in a fast-track court, then just from 264 wilful defaulters, banks can recover over Rs 1.08 lakh crore," Mr Velankar, who is also the president of the Sajag Nagrik Manch, said.

Comments

chan
 - 
Friday, 18 Dec 2020

it also means that those bankers are incapable of doing proper due diligence of borrowers and choosing honest right borrowers.
Or the bankers colluded & connived with borrowers and looted the banks;

In any case, those bank officials should be booked and brought before law equally as hard core criminals on par with those dishonest defaulting borrowers .

Over all, blame the govt, RBI for their lame laws, policies & people

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News Network
May 10,2025

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In a significant escalation of hostilities, the Indian Army has reported that Pakistan targeted critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and school premises, in Srinagar, Awantipur, and Udhampur. This incident marks a severe breach of international norms, with Pakistan's actions drawing widespread condemnation.

Details of the Attacks

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during a press briefing, said that Pakistan's military launched attacks on Indian Army hospitals and educational institutions in these regions. The targeted facilities are located within or near military airbases, raising concerns about the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. The attacks have resulted in significant damage to these establishments, though specific casualty figures are yet to be confirmed.

Indian Army's Response

The Indian Army has termed these actions as "unacceptable" and a direct violation of international humanitarian law. In retaliation, India has initiated "Operation Sindoor," a series of strikes targeting Pakistani military bases and terrorist infrastructure. The operation aims to dismantle terror networks operating from across the border and to send a strong message against such provocations.

The international community has expressed grave concern over the escalation. The United Nations has called for maximum restraint from both nations to prevent further deterioration of the situation. Countries like the United States, Russia, and China have urged India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue and de-escalate tensions.

As of now, the situation remains tense. Both nations have mobilized additional troops along the Line of Control (LoC), and airspace in the affected regions has been restricted. Civilians in the targeted areas have been advised to stay indoors, and emergency services are on high alert to respond to any further incidents.

This development marks a significant turning point in the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions, with the targeting of civilian infrastructure raising the stakes of the conflict. The coming days will be crucial in determining the trajectory of relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

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News Network
April 30,2025

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday stated that speaking in favour of Pakistan is wrong and constitutes treason. However, he emphasized that an inquiry is ongoing in the case of an alleged mob lynching of a man accused of shouting "Pakistan Zindabad" in Mangaluru.

“If the slogan ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was shouted, it is wrong, regardless of who said it. The inquiry is still underway, a case has been registered, and we will determine the appropriate action based on the report,” Siddaramaiah said in response to questions from reporters about the killing.

He reiterated, “If anyone speaks in favour of Pakistan, it is wrong. It amounts to treason.”

Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed that a person was “lynched” in Mangaluru and said that those arrested claimed the victim shouted "Pakistan Zindabad."

“This is under investigation. Only the arrested individuals have made this claim. Nearly 20 people have been arrested so far. The police are also verifying the identity and background of the deceased. We are taking the case very seriously,” he said, noting that several people present at the cricket match where the incident occurred are being questioned.

Responding to allegations that the police initially attempted to portray the incident as a suicide, the Home Minister said, “We have no such information. If any such discrepancies are found during the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”

According to police, the deceased has been identified as Ashraf from Pulpalli village in Sultan Bathery Taluk, Wayanad district, Kerala.

The incident occurred during a local cricket match near the Bhatra Kallurti temple in Kudupu village, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, on April 27. Ashraf was allegedly beaten with sticks, resulting in multiple injuries that led to internal bleeding and shock. He was declared dead at the hospital.

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News Network
May 13,2025

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Srinagar: Following an unprecedented episode of intense cross-border shelling by the Pakistan Army that directly targeted the towns of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government is moving to construct community bunkers in these towns and other vulnerable areas along the Line of Control (LoC).

While the government has, over the past decade, supported the construction of both individual and community bunkers along the LoC and the International Border (IB), towns like Rajouri and Poonch had been excluded from such initiatives. These towns were considered safe, as previous shelling incidents were largely restricted to forward villages closer to the border.

Officials now say the latest shelling marks a dangerous shift in the pattern of cross-border hostilities.

“The nature and intensity of the attack marked a significant departure from past ceasefire violations. For the first time in years, heavily populated towns like Rajouri and Poonch were directly hit,” a senior official said.

Caught unprepared, residents in both towns had little access to protective infrastructure as long-range mortar shells struck deep inside civilian areas.

“People weren’t expecting this—these towns had never been targeted before. Without bunkers, many had nowhere to go for safety,” the official added.

In response, the government now plans to build community bunkers at strategic locations throughout Rajouri and Poonch. These reinforced shelters will offer immediate protection to civilians during any future shelling incidents.

“In areas where individual bunkers aren't viable, community shelters become essential. These will provide residents with quick access to safety in emergencies,” the official noted.

The attacks have left local communities rattled.

“This is the first time shells landed so close to our homes in Poonch town,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident. “We never thought this would happen here.”

The sudden escalation has disrupted the fragile calm along the LoC, raising concerns over a potential return to more violent confrontations in the region.

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