Cairn India, Vedanta shares jump on $2.3 billion deal

Shares of Cairn India rose by nearly 4% as private miner Vedanta Ltd moves to absorb the oil firm in a $2.3-billion all-share deal to create India's largest diversified natural resources company. 

Cairn India went up 3.54% to Rs 187.15 on BSE. On NSE, it gained 3.65 per cent to Rs 187.35. 

Shares of Vedanta too climbed 2.82% to Rs 189.20 on BSE. 

India's largest private miner Vedanta Ltd headed by billionaire Anil Agarwal will merge Cairn India with itself in an attempt to cut debt. 

Shareholders in Cairn India, the country's top private oil producer, will get one ordinary share and 7.5% redeemable preference share of Vedanta Ltd with a face value of Rs 10. 

That implies a premium of 7.3% to Cairn's Friday closing price. 

Vedanta will use Rs 16,867 crore of cash lying with Cairn to pay off part of its Rs 77,752 crore debt. 

Post-merger, London-listed parent Vedanta Resources' holding in Vedanta Ltd will drop to 50.1% from 62.9%.