Infra Project NPA Norms: Time Overrun Relaxed to 1 Year
No longer current — replaced by Reserve Bank of India (Project Finance) Directions, 2025
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2006-2007/320 · issued 12 Apr 2007 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI extended the sub-standard asset trigger for infrastructure projects from 6 months to 1 year past the original completion date, effective March 31, 2007. This gives banks more headroom before classifying delayed infra loans as NPAs.
What changed
Earlier, any project (including infrastructure) turning sub-standard if commercial production started more than 6 months after the original completion date. Now, for infrastructure projects only, this grace period is doubled to 1 year. The change applies from March 31, 2007.
What it means for you
Banks financing infrastructure can now tolerate longer delays—up to one year—before the loan slips to sub-standard. This reduces pressure to immediately classify large infra exposures as NPAs due to common regulatory/land acquisition delays. However, the date of completion must still be fixed at financial closure.
Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.
What banks were required to do at the time
Update your asset classification policy for infrastructure loans to reflect the 1-year grace period instead of 6 months.
Ensure project completion dates are clearly recorded at financial closure for all new infrastructure financing.
Review existing infrastructure accounts where commercial production is delayed beyond 6 months but within 1 year; reclassify only if delay exceeds 1 year.
Train credit teams on the revised sub-standard trigger for infrastructure projects.
Who it affects
All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs) financing infrastructure projects, Credit risk and NPA monitoring teams, Infrastructure project promoters and borrowers
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Stated effective dateeffective March 31, 2007
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 17:28 IST
Superseded by — Reserve Bank of India (Project Finance) Directions, 2025
Status change: superseded10 Jul 2026, 04:05 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
Does this relaxation apply to non-infrastructure projects?
No. The 1-year grace period is only for infrastructure projects. All other projects continue with the earlier 6-month rule.
From when is this change effective?
The revised instructions are effective from March 31, 2007.
What if the delay is due to promoter inefficiency, not external factors?
The circular does not differentiate causes; it applies uniformly to all infrastructure project delays. Banks should still assess the root cause for provisioning.
📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded byReserve Bank of India (Project Finance) Directions, 2025
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2006-2007/320
DBOD
No. BP.BC. 76 /21.04.048/2006-07
April
12, 2007
All Scheduled
Commercial Banks
(Excluding
RRBs)
Dear Sir,
Prudential
norms on Income recognition, Asset Classification and
Provisioning
pertaining to Advances – Projects involving time overrun
In
terms of Sub-para (iv) of Para 4.2.17 of Master Circular DBOD
No. BP.BC. 15/ 21.04.048/2006-07 dated 1 July 2006 on ‘Prudential norms on
Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning pertaining to Advances’
banks had been advised that, as regards the projects to be financed by them, the
date of completion of the project should be clearly spelt out at the time of financial
closure of the project and if the date of commencement of commercial production
extends beyond a period of six months after the date of completion of the
project, as originally envisaged, the account should be treated as a sub-standard
asset.
2.
Infrastructure projects require heavy fund outlays with long gestation periods
due to many inherent factors such as statutory/ regulatory clearances, land acquisition,
resettlement/ rehabilitation of the displaced people, etc. All these factors,
which are beyond the control of the promoters, may lead to delay in project implementation
and involve restructuring/ reschedulement by the banks. Accordingly, it has been
decided to partially modify the above quoted asset classification norms for infrastructure
projects alone, involving time overrun.
3.
In case of infrastructure projects to be financed by banks, the date of completion
of the project should be clearly spelt out at the time of financial closure of
the project and if the date of commencement of commercial production extends beyond
a period of one year after the date of completion of the project, as originally
envisaged, the account should be treated as sub-standard. The revised instructions
come into force with effect from 31 March 2007.
4.
Please acknowledge receipt.
Yours
faithfully
(Prashant
Saran)
Chief General Manager-in-Charge
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2006-2007/320 · issued 12 Apr 2007. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=3413&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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