PNB,BOB,CANARA,..PSU bank shares bleed!! ANY RELIEF...

Chandan Kishore Kant  |  Mumbai  June 24, 2013 Last Updated at 22:44 IST

PSU bank shares bleed in first half

Outlook remains bleak, with waning rate cut hopes; experts continue to ride private banksShares of public sector banks (PSBs) are bleeding and the pain in the free-falling counters appears far from getting over. Market participants remain wary, continuing to prefer their private counterparts even in the current state of the markets. At a time when India’s benchmark stock indices have lost less than five per cent of their value so far this calendar year, state-owned banks have lost 20-45 per cent.
The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), witnessed an erosion of close to 20 per cent. Punjab National Bank (PNB) andBank of Baroda (BoB) saw declines of 26 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. Mid-cap and small-cap lenders such as Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, IDBI Bank and Union Bank of India have lost as much as 43 per cent in these six-odd months. Navneet Munot, chief investment officer (CIO) at SBI Mutual Fund, says, “State-owned banks will continue to test patience. Asset quality remains a concern and in such a bad macro-economic scenario, PSBs always feel the heat.”
According to market experts, the sudden currency depreciation and rise in 10-year bond yields have postponed the likelihood of any rate cuts. “Despite a good monsoon, the sharp rupee fall might nullify the benefit of rains. We were expecting the green shoots of falling inflation and a good monsoon would come in September-October but things have gone for a toss,” says Ambareesh Baliga, managing partner, global wealth management, at Edelweiss Financial Services. He says one should not buy bank stocks in such a market, as one could expect lower levels for both PSB and private bank counters.Asset quality has always been the biggest contributor in valuation differentiation among PSBs and private banks, believes Kaushik Dani, head of equities at Peerless MF. “With a fear of slowdown and declining growth, asset concerns will only worsen for state-owned banks,” he says.
Dani continues to prefer private banks. He says in terms of profitability, restructuring and asset quality, private lenders would continue to score over their state counterparts.This year so far, against an average erosion of 30 per cent in the share value of PSBs, those of private entities such as HDFC, Axis and ICICI  have lost only about eight per cent. Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank have gained about eight per cent.
According to Vaibhav Agrawal of Angel Broking, “Some of the PSBs are available at dirt-cheap valuation. With positive guidance from RBI on restructuring and inflation coming down, I believe one should take a basket approach on buying into these counters. Asset quality is not getting worse and there is some sort of stabilisation in NPAs (non-performing assets).”The S&P BSE Bankex today closed at 12,775.43, about 11 per cent lower from where it started the year. The presence of private banks in the index arrested the sharp fall. Else, the probable impact could be ascertained from the 20 per cent sharp fall in the S&P BSE PSU index so far this year.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/psu-bank-shares-bleed-in-first-half-113062400883_1.html

Health Care--Mobile phones --lot to happen...!!!

Sreelatha Menon  |  New Delhi  June 22, 2013 Last Updated at 21:48 IST

Mobile phone: Medically yours

Bihar's model of health care through mobile phones is finding many takers

Many things may be going wrong in India, but the one thing that has gone right is the reach of the mobile phone. It has bridged the divide between the rural and the urban areas, the rich and the poor.
Governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and phone companies are realising the potential of the mobile phone as a tool to achieve development goals, that hitherto human intervention could not achieve. This has meant the inception of a partnership with mobile phone companies and a revenue model that profits the state, people and the company.
A year ago, Bihar started using the mobile phone to bring down maternal and infant mortality rates, and to train the otherwise poorly trained and unpaid health workers, called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). This mobile phone-based health intervention is being lapped up by governments in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and might soon be included in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The ASHA health workers in Bihar have been taking lessons on maternal health and child care, through a mobile academy, by dialing a certain number to accesshealth care courses voluntarily, at a rate of 50 paise per minute. About 7,000 health workers completed courses and received certificates.
In another programme called mobile kunji (key), running across Bihar, mobile phone companies have alloted a common number that enables health workers to carry information necessary for pregnant women to their homes on their mobile phones.
This is, of course, paid by the government at the same rate (50 paise). In the initial round in eight districts of Bihar, health workers accessed the service for a total of 31,000 hours, helping telecom companies generate a revenue of over Rs 11 lakh.
These programmes were rolled out in Bihar in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an NGO, BBC Media Action, besides all telecom companies in the state.
The mobile kunji has audio lessons told by "Dr Anita", a fictitious doctor, who travels with ASHA health workers to every home.
"Dr Anita" speaks to health workers in Bhojpuri, as she explains the preparations a woman must make during the ninth month of pregnancy. She also gives all necessary tips to prevent mothers from keeping them safe during child birth.
The project involves a deal between mobile phone operators in the area, and BBC Media Action, which is implementing the programme in Bihar. According to the deal, companies charge just 50 paise a call. And it also gives a share of the earnings to the implementers of the programme, making the project sustainable and self-funded.
R Geetha, NRHM director in Madhya Pradesh, says the state would soon be rolling out the programme, too.
The mobile phone-based intervention is also being rolled out in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Recently, NRHM Secretary Anuradha Gupta also talked of plans to adopt this model all over India.
The BBC Media Action zeroed in on Bihar because 90 per cent of health workers had cell phones, says Priyanka Dutt, a project manager for BBC Media Action in India.
The sustainability of the model is the USP of the whole service. Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Reliance, Tata and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) cover 95 per cent of the mobile phone market in rural Bihar. These companies gave the NGO a common short code - 57711. Different numbers can be added to this code that suggest different lessons to be given orally to the women.
All operators, except BSNL, give the NGO/state a revenue share. In five years, the implementing agency, NGO or state, would not need any money for the scheme, as the revenue share would be sufficient to run it, says Dutt.
The other service provided by companies is a 90 per cent discount on a value-added service (VAS). Though the VAS rate is Rs 6 per miniute, they charge only 50 paise, as companies are desperate to reach the rural consumer, explains Dutt. N Rajaram, chief marketing officer, Bharti Airtel, said, "The company wants to bridge the gap in access to health care through its products and services, which makes a happy triangle: state, companies and people."

http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/mobile-phone-medically-yours-113062200626_1.html