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Arvind Panagariya sees action on privatising Air India in six months

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NEW DELHI: The government is expected to take some action on privatising state-owned airline Air India in next six months, a top government policy adviser told television channel CNBC-TV18 on Thursday.

The comment from Arvind Panagariya, deputy head of policy think-tank Niti Aayog, comes amid reports that India's salt-to-software Tata conglomerate has shown an interest in buying a majority stake in the loss-making national carrier.

"Something should be happening this year," Panagariya said in response to a question on the timeline for the national carrier's privatisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has been exploring ways to privatise Air India, which was bailed out in 2012 with $5.8 billion of federal funding.

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