AI stake sale: Par panel to hear govt views this week

While a group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is looking into various aspects of the proposed disinvestment of Air India, the government has already decided to sell its entire 51 per cent stake in Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL), in which the rest 49 per cent holding is with ONGC.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will hear the views of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, Air India and Pawan Hans on the disinvestment of Air India and Pawan Hans on August 8, as per the panel's schedule. DIPAM comes under the Finance Ministry, The 31-member panel is headed by Trinamool Congress member Mukul Roy and has 21 MPs from the Lok Sabha. The members include those from the Congress, BJP, BJD, SP, CPI(M) and TDP.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had on October 27 last year given its in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment of profit-making Pawan Hans. On June 28, the CCAE gave its in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and five of its subsidiaries.