The insolvency law has led to a significant behavioural shift among borrowers as non-repayment of loan is no more an option and ownership of a firm is no more a divine right, Comptroller & Auditor General of India G C Murmu said on Thursday.
According to him, this behavioural shift has resulted in substantial recoveries for creditors outside the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and improved the performance of firms. Delivering 'IBC: Adaptability is the key to Sustaining Reforms in the Times of a Pandemic' lecture on the occasion of the fourth annual day of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), Murmu said one of the most remarkable achievements of the Code was that it has led to a significant behavioural change among the debtors and creditors alike.
"It is further motivating them to make the best efforts to avoid default. Further, it encourages the debtor to settle default with the creditors at the earliest, preferably outside the Code. With the Code in place, non-repayment of loan is no more an option and ownership of the firm is no more a divine right and equity is no more the only route to own a firm," he said.
Further, he noted that the Code has had an impact on the credit market as the provision of resolution and liquidation reduces incidence of default and enables the creditors to recover their dues through revival of the firm or by sale of liquidated assets.
It incentivises both secured and unsecured creditors, bank and non-bank, financial and operational, financial and domestic to extend credit at lower cost of projects and thus enhances availability of credit, he added.
"The Code is also helping in resolving the NPA (Non-Performing Assets) problem of the banking system," Murmu said.
The Code has also created a cohesive and comprehensive ecosystem. This has created markets for services of insolvency professionals, insolvency professional agencies, registered valuers, registered valuers organisations, insolvency professional entities and information utilities, he added.