The civil aviation minister spoke about Air India's pending privatisation. Hardeep Puri, while interacting with the media, said that the government is keen on the airline's divestment, and that there was no other option. He also hinted at a bid to seek Expression of Interest in the 'coming few weeks'. Puri further said that the government is not 'a slave to, or a victim of, deadlines'. The government has pumped in over Rs 30,000 crore into the airline since 2011-12. In 2018-19, Air India's net loss was provisionally estimated at Rs 8,556 crore. The airline also has a debt of Rs 60,000 crore, half of which has been parked in a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
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