As of December last year, there were 2,66,118 loan defaulters in the country, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal informed parliament yesterday.

In reply to a query from Awami League MP Waresat Hussain Belal, the minister also placed a list of the top 20 loan defaulters before the House.

They are: Quantam Power System Ltd, Samanaj Super Oil Ltd, BR Shipping Mills Ltd, Suprovo Shipping Ltd, Remex Footwear Ltd, Rising Steel Ltd, Computer Source Ltd, Bentex Industries Ltd, Max Shipping Mills, SA Oil Refinery Ltd, Rubaiya Vegetable Oil Industries Ltd, Anowara Shipping Mills, Crescent Leather Products Ltd, Suprovo Rotor Shipping Ltd, Yasir Enterprise, Chowdhury Knitwear Ltd, Siddique Traders, Rupali Composite Leatherwear Ltd, Alfa Composite Towels Ltd and MM Vegetable Products Ltd.

Responding to another question from AL MP Haji Selim, Kamal said the total amount of defaulted loans at six state-run banks was Tk 44,289 crore as of September, 2018.

The amount of defaulted loan at Sonali Bank was Tk 12,526 crore, Janata Bank Tk 12,022 crore, Basic Bank Tk 8,441 crore, Agrani Bank Tk 5,648 crore, Rupali Bank Tk 4,870 crore and Bangladesh Development Bank Tk 779 crore.   

The minister also said apart from the government, the Bangladesh Bank had also taken various measures to realise the money.

 He said a high-level committee comprising officials from the central bank and the ministries concerned were formed for review and amendment to relevant laws for the recovery of the money.

Replying a query from another ruling party lawmaker, Israfil Alam, the finance minister said Sonali Bank, Janata Bank, Agrani Bank, Rupali Bank and Investment Corporation of Bangladesh have supplied Tk 715 crore to Farmers Bank (now called Padma Bank) for regaining depositors' confidence. 

The question-answer session was chaired by Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.