Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to set an even more ambitious disinvestment target of ₹1.5 trillion for the year starting 1 April, mostly because many of the strategic sales planned for the current year, including that of Air India, have been delayed.

The strategic disinvestments that are now expected to be completed in the next fiscal include Air India, Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL), Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) and Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI).

“We expect around ₹1 trillion from the privatization of BPCL, Air India, Concor, SCI and the rest from buybacks and follow-on public offers in some CPSEs (central public sector enterprises)," a finance ministry official said on condition of anonymity. “While the process of strategic disinvestment of the four CPSEs will begin in the current fiscal year, the proceeds will accrue only in the next fiscal year."