CPSE ETF: Fifth tranche subscription to open on Mar 19; govt eyes Rs 3,500 cr

New Delhi: The fifth tranche of the CPSE Exchange Traded Fund will open for subscription on March 19, wherein the government seeks to raise at least Rs 3,500 crore.

The fourth Further Fund Offer (FFO), which would be open from March 19-22, would help the government in mopping up funds towards meeting its disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore for the current fiscal ending March 31.

According to Reliance Mutual Fund, which is managing the CPSE ETF, the fifth tranche would open for subscription on March 19, for anchor investors. Non-anchor investors, including retail investors, can put in their bids from March 20-22.

This would be the second CPSE (Central Public Sector Enterprises) ETF FFO in the current fiscal after Rs 17,000 crore raised November 2018. So far, the government has raised a total of Rs 28,500 crore from rounds through CPSE ETF, including the first offer in March 2014 that mopped up Rs 3,000 crore. "The CPSE ETF is trading at very attractive valuations. As on February 28, the dividend yield of the index was as high as 5.52 per cent compared to 1.25 per cent for the Nifty 50... In addition, the government is also giving a 4 per cent discount to investors," Reliance Mutual Fund Head (ETF) Vishal Jain said.

The ETF tracks shares of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) -- ONGC, NTPC, Coal India, IOC, Rural Electrication Corp, Power Finance Corp, Bharat Electronics, Oil India, NBCC India, NLC India and SJVN. Through the latest offer, the government aims to raise an initial amount of Rs 3,500 crore and the offer size could be raised, as per Reliance Mutual Fund.

After raising Rs 3,000 through New Fund Offer (NFO) in March 2014, the government garnered Rs 6,000 crore from the first FFO of the CPSE ETF in January 2017. Subsequently. Rs 2,500 crore was mopped from the third tranche in March 2017 and Rs 17,000 crore from the fourth round in November last year. The government has raised Rs 56,473.32 crore through disinvestment till February 28, as against the target of Rs 80,000 crore for the 2018-19 fiscal.