Will the Rs 2000 crore government package bailout out Satyam?

Speculation is rife that the government is considering a package of up to Rs 2,000 crore to bailout the crisis-ridden Satyam Computer but no confirmation could be obtained.

Shortly after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's review meeting on Satyam on Tuesday, there was media speculation that government would be considering a financial assistance ranging between Rs 500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore but the PMO office declined to comment on it.

"We have nothing to say on this," a top PMO official said when asked about if the government was considering giving financial aid to Satyam which is confronting a cash crisis.

Meanwhile, official sources indicated that the government appointed Satyam board has written a letter to the finance ministry raising concerns about the liquidity crunch in the troubled company.

Talking to reporters after the first meeting of the new board in Hyderabad, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, who is member of the board, had said "working capital issues require immediate attention and we will work with the team to tide over this situation.

Satyam has 53,000 employees and needs over Rs 500 crore a month to meet the staff cost.

Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who attended PM's review meeting, had said yesterday that the government was open to consider a financial package for Satyam.

Agencies