Bilaspur (HP), Jun 29 : Private Banks Urged to Increase Participation in Central Government Schemes, Says ADC Bilaspur
During a meeting with the bankers’ committee on Friday, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Bilaspur Nidhi Patel emphasized that private sector banks in the district should enhance their support to people under various government schemes, particularly pension schemes.
Patel expressed concern over the significantly lower number of accounts opened by private banks compared to government banks under the central government’s social security pension schemes. She questioned the disparity and urged private lenders, including ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and HDFC Bank, to ramp up efforts in opening accounts under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and Atal Pension Yojana before the next quarterly review.
Highlighting the credit deposit (CD) ratio, which increased marginally from 25.49% to 26.92% in the last quarter, Patel noted that private banks still need to increase their lending to boost development in the district. She instructed officials to focus on increasing loans, particularly in the agricultural sector, and expressed concern over the low levels of lending by SBI in this area.
Furthermore, Patel directed the industry department and all banks to conduct awareness camps across rural and urban areas to educate people about central and state government schemes. She also shared that during the Rabi season 2022-23, 13,444 farmers in Bilaspur benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, with 14,405 farmers receiving benefits during the Kharif season.
