Stricter norms may dry up funding for jewellery industry ›

Getting finance will be hard. The industry is capitalintensive. Tracking inventory is a challenge too for financiers. Prudent financial arrangement should be evolved to avoid such a situation. SANKAR SEN, chairman and MD of Kolkata-based Senco Gold Ltd

MUMBAI: The $1.8 billion fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB) committed by billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi threatens to dry up funding for India’s gems and jewellery industry, as banks move to tighten their loan processes and seek higher collaterals.

“Getting finance will be hard. The industry is capital-intensive. It is a high-value product industry. Tracking the inventory is also a challenge for the financiers. Prudent financial arrangement should be evolved to avoid such a situation,” Sankar Sen, chairman and MD of Kolkatabased Senco Gold Ltd, said in a phone interview. He is also the chairman of Assocham National Council on Jewellery.

“Indianjewelleryindustryhas two facets — exports and domestic. The domestic industry is essentially small jewellers and they do not take his (Nirav Modi) kind of loans. I don’t think it will have any impact on domestic business. Exporters will have an impact as they won’t get liquidity. I expect the number of compliances to go up,” Sen said.

The stakes are high. The gems and jewellery industry in India has over 500,000 firms and employs over 2.5 million workers, according to Care Ratings. It contributes 6-7% of the GDP of the country, besides being an important foreign exchange earner. According to an SBI official, the country’s largest lender has been shrinking its exposure to the gems and jewellery sector over the past three years.

“The bank typically lends 5-10% of the turnover exposure to the sector. Lending to the sector is a risky business as these are unlisted entities. Their business model with the parent here and offices abroad is questionable. Valuation of these gems is the other biggest issue. Most banks lend based on the promoters’ integrity. The recent PNB scam is likely to have an impact on fur- ther lending to this sector,” the official said.

Another official at the bank said banks will do away with interest rate concessions apart from tightening their loan processes, which would mean that the jewellers will have to postpone their expansion plans.

The fraud, in which the diamond jewellery designer allegedly acquired letters of undertaking (Lous) through fraudulent means for overseas credit from other Indian lenders, is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate, among other agencies.

“Our impression is that no bank gives loan without sufficient collateral. We are surprised at how the bank gave such a loan. It was very bizarre,” Sen of Assocham said. “We are observing this situation before making a representation to the government.”

Most banks are trying to cut exposure to the diamond sector, according to a diamond trader who also spoke on condition of anonymity. “The reason is that everyone knows that the margins are non-existent and the promoters tend to siphon off bank funds elsewhere. Earlier, banks used to lend at 20% collateral of loan value. Now they are demanding anywhere between 60%-100% security against loan, that too as fixed collateral, and if only they are willing to lend to diamond companies at all,” the trader said.

AADHAAR PETITIONS

A five-judge Constitution bench led by CJI Dipak Misra will resume the hearing of petitions challenging the Aadhaar programme. Arguing for the West Bengal government, Cong leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal had said consequences of a verdict in the case will be far more critical for the country than the 1976 top court decision to uphold the suspension of fundamental rights during the Emergency.

JUDGE LOYA

An apex court bench headed by CJI Misra will also take up petitions asking for an independent probe into the death of CBI special judge BH Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, when he died of cardiac arrest on December 1, 2014. Last week, the Maharashtra government had rebutted the charges levelled by the petitioners against the state and said the four judges, who were with Loya when he passed away, had termed his death “natural.”

HAJ PILGRIM SELECTION Kerala State Haj Committee’s plea to have an all-india system to select pilgrims for the Haj pilgrimage

will be heard by the Cjiled bench. The Centre is likely to give its response to the petition.

Asserting that the current policy to grant state-wise quota for Haj pilgrims was discriminatory, the committee has contended that Kerala has a higher number of people who want to go for Haj pilgrimage than states like Bihar.

PENSIONS FOR MPS

An SC bench led by Justice J Chelameswar will hear the plea filed by the Lucknow-based NGO Lok Prahari, seeking an end to pensions given to parliamentarians.