Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel today said BHEL is likely the next PSU to get the coveted Maharatna tag, a move that will provide more financial flexibility to the state-run power equipment manufacturer. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi, Mr Patel said one of the companies which can qualify for Maharatna status in near future is BHEL.At present, there are four Maharatnas — ONGC, Indian Oil, SAIL and NTPC.A PSU with Maharatna status can invest up to 5,000 crore rupees in a project independently, while the limit for Navratna companies is 1,000 crore rupees.Our correspondent reports, Maharatna scheme was announced by the government in December 2009 to give more operational freedom to the top-performing PSUs.