State Financial Corporations Act, 1951
25. Business which Financial Corporation may transact
(1) The Financial Corporation may subject to the provisions of
this Act, carry on and transact any of the following kinds of business,
namely,-
(a) guaranteeing, on such terms and conditions
as may be agreed upon,-
(i) loans raised by industrial concerns which
are repayable within a period not exceeding twenty years, and are floated in
the public market;
(ii) loans raised by industrial concern from
scheduled banks or State co-operative banks 3[or other financial institutions];
(b) guaranteeing, on such terms and conditions
as may be agreed upon, deferred payments due from any industrial concerns in
connection with its purchase of capital goods within India;
(c) underwriting of the issue of stock,
shares, bonds or debentures by industrial concerns;
(ca) transferring for consideration any
instruments relating to loans and advances granted by it to industrial
concerns;
(d) acting as agent of the Central Government
or the State Government or the Development Bank or the Industrial Financial
Corporation of India established under the Industrial Financial Corporation Act,
1948 (15 of 1948), or any other financial institution notified in this behalf
by the Central Government in respect of any matter connected with, or arising
out of, the grant of loans or advances to an industrial concern, or
subscription to debentures of an industrial concern] 3[or relating to the
business of the Development Bank, Industrial Financial Corporation of India or
financial institution];
2[(da) subscribing to, or purchasing of, the
stock, shares, bonds or debentures of an industrial concern or any other
concern with the prior approval of the Development Bank;]
(e) receiving in consideration of the services
mentioned in the preceding clauses such commission as may be agreed upon;
2[(f) retaining as part of its assets any
stock, shares, bonds or debentures which it may acquire by subscription or in
fulfillment of its underwriting liabilities and disposing of the stock, shares,
bonds or debentures so acquired;]
(g) granting loans or advances to, or
subscribing to debentures of, an industrial concern, repayable within a period
not exceeding 20 years from the date on which they are granted or subscribed
to, as the case may be:
13[PROVIDED that the Financial
Corporation may, with the prior approval of the Development Bank, exceed the
said limit of twenty years up to a further period of ten years:
PROVIDED FURTHER that nothing contained
in this clause shall be deemed to preclude the Financial Corporation from
granting loans or advances to, or subscribing to debentures of, an industrial
concern to which may be attached an option to convert such debentures or loans
into stock or shares of the industrial concern:
14[PROVIDED ALSO that] the Financial
Corporation may, in the exercise of such option 15[convert the amounts
outstanding on such debentures or loans] into stock or shares of the industrial
concern and may also subscribe to stock or shares of the industrial concern if
such concern increases its subscribed capital by the issue of further stock or
shares in accordance with, and subject to, the provisions of section 81 of the
Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956).
3[Explanation :In this clause, the
expression "the amounts outstanding on such debentures or loans"
shall means the principal, interest and other charges payable on such
debentures or loans as at the time when the amounts are sought to be converted
into stock or shares;]
3[(ga) accepting or discounting promissory
notes and bills of exchange made, drawn, accepted or endorsed by industrial
concerns or by any person selling capital goods manufactured by one industrial
concern to another industrial concern;
(gb) undertaking research and surveys for
evaluating or dealing with marketing or investments and undertaking and
carrying on techno-economic studies or other activities in connection with the
development of any industry;
(gc) providing technical and administrative
assistance to any industrial concern or any person for the promotion,
management or expansion of any industry;
(gd) planning and assisting in the promotion
and development of industries;
(ge) doing such other business as the
Development Bank may authorize;]
(h) generally, the doing of such acts and
things as may be incidental to, or consequential upon, the exercise of its
powers or the discharge of its duties under this Act.
(2) [Omitted by Act No. 43 of 1985]
(3) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (5) of section 7,
the aggregate of contingent liabilities of the Financial Corporation under
clauses (a), (b), (c) and (ca) of sub-section (1) shall not at any time exceed
twice the paid up share capital and reserve fund of the Corporation except with
the prior approval of the State Government and in consultation with the
Development Bank but in no case shall exceed thrice the paid up share capital
and reserve fund of the Corporation.
(4) Nothing contained in this Section shall entitle any
Financial Corporation to hold shares in any company, whether as pledge,
mortgagee or absolute owner, of an amount exceeding thirty per cent of the
subscribed share capital of that company or thirty per cent of its own paid up
share capital and free reserves, whichever is less.
(5) If, on the commencement of the State Financial Corporations
(Amendment) Act, 1972 (77 of 1972), any Financial Corporation is holding shares
in excess of the limits specified in sub-section (4), the Corporation shall
report the matter forthwith to the Reserve Bank and shall, within such period
as the Reserve Bank may allow, so reduce its share holding as to conform to the
provisions of that sub-section.