The boards of oil company Cairn India and its parent, Vedanta will meet on Sunday to discuss a potential merger, both companies said.

Vedanta is the operating unit of London-listed mining and energy group Vedanta Resources.

Vedanta this week signaled it was considering merging the two Indian units, as it tries to resolve a mismatch between its debt, held at the top of the group, and its cash, largely generated by subsidiaries, including Cairn.

In separate notices to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Saturday, the companies said their boards would meet to "consider and evaluate" a merger.

On Friday, India's oil minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, told Reuters he had met Cairn executives this week to discuss the potential merger and a source familiar with the matter had said the deal could be announced as early as Sunday.-Reuters