Bhubaneswar: With the current financial year coming to an end, the state government has urged bankers to meet the annual credit plan (ACP) target of Rs 2.10 lakh crore while minimising regional imbalances in credit flow to all segments of society.
The request was made by Development Commissioner Anu Garg during the 178th State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting here on Thursday.
Garg stressed the importance of focusing on credit flows to key sectors like Housing, Education, and Exports. She also highlighted the need for inclusive banking practices, particularly for women, SC/ST communities, and other weaker sections of society, in order to minimize regional imbalances in credit distribution.
She further emphasized the need for banks to ensure adequate financing under the PM-SVANidhi scheme, noting that it is regularly reviewed by the Prime Minister.
Garg also called upon the banking community to support the recently launched “Financial Assistance to Cold Storage” scheme, aimed at strengthening the state’s storage infrastructure and reducing post-harvest losses that often force farmers into distress sales.
She encouraged banks to extend more credit to improve the state’s Credit-to-GSDP ratio and announced an ambitious ACP target of Rs. 2.52 lakh crore for FY 2025-26, based on projections from NABARD.
Principal Secretary Finance Saswat Mishra called for private sector banks to improve their performance in government-sponsored schemes such as PMEGP, PMFME, PM Mudra, and Stand Up India.
He suggested the formation of a special committee to closely monitor credit flow in the Housing and Education sectors. Mishra also requested SLBC convenors to provide comprehensive claim settlement data for social security schemes like PMJJBY and PMSBY.
Principal Secretary of Agriculture & FE Department Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee highlighted that the state government has standardized the Scale of Finance for all districts to ensure uniform support across the state.
He appreciated the role of bankers in facilitating the MKUY scheme to support agri-entrepreneurs.
