NPA or Non-Performing Asset is the elusive name given to the loans not returned to the banks by those who have taken it. These NPAs have been increasing every year. While the banks take extra-ordinary effort to ensure that the loans taken by the common people are returned, in the case of big sharks who takes hundreds of crore of rupees as loan, many of them are not returned at all. This unreturned loan by the corporates and big business is the NPA.
Let us see how much is the NPAs of the Public Sector Banks during the last 5 years:
As on 31-3-2007 Rs. 38,968 crore
2008 Rs. 39,030 crore
2009 Rs. 44,954 crore
2010 Rs. 59,926 crore
2011 Rs. 74,614 crore
As at present, the NPA might have crossed Rs. 80,000 crore. A list of the NPAs will expose the fact that almost all the big business and corporates are in the NPA list. But still the government is compelling the Banks to give loan to the private companies fully knowing that the loan will not be returned. The latest example is the Prime Minister and Finance Minister exhorting the banks to bail out the King Fischer Airlines which is already in huge debt.
For the poor there is one rule and policy and for the rich another rule and policy. This is the UPA government!