Banks have an important role in delivering welfare schemes to the beneficiaries: Finance Minister
Emphasis laid on promoting banking facilities in the review meeting of the State Level Bankers Committee
Raipur 16 January 2025: Banks have an important role in making the economy of Chhattisgarh dynamic. The state government is alert for expansion of banking services under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and is ready to provide all possible assistance for expansion of banking facilities in backward and remote areas. Finance Minister OP Choudhary said this while addressing the meeting of the State Level Bankers Committee today. Finance Minister OP Choudhary said that the banking system is like the backbone in the economy of the state. Without developing banking facilities, we cannot develop the state, so we have to expand banking facilities rapidly. He said that Chhattisgarh is the leading state in the country in terms of DBT. Banking services have expanded in the state as compared to earlier, but there is still scope for further expansion. He informed that the CD ratio of the state is better than the national level and Chhattisgarh is the state with the third highest CD ratio in the country. But the CD ratio of some districts is low, emphasis should be laid on increasing it. Finance Minister Choudhary directed the bank officials to provide adequate loans to the farmers for Kharif as well as Rabi, horticulture, fisheries and animal husbandry. He said that a massive campaign is being run to build more than 18 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the state. If bank loans are made available to the beneficiaries of PM Awas, it will be easy for the beneficiaries to build systematic and well-equipped houses. This will increase employment opportunities as well as economic activities in the state.
Finance Minister Choudhary said that the Chhattisgarh government will provide all possible help to start regional and head offices of banks in Nava Raipur. He said that the government will allocate land on priority to build regional and head offices in Naya Raipur. He told the bank officials that on opening bank branches in backward and remote areas of Chhattisgarh, initiatives will be taken to get deposits of government schemes in these branches. The review meeting was addressed by Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Manoj Pingua, Principal Secretary Ms. Niharika Barik Singh, Principal Secretary Mr. Sonamni Bora, Deputy Managing Director of SBI Mr. Surendra Rana, CGM NABARD Mr. Gyanendra Mani, Mrs. Sheetal S Verma DIF Chhattisgarh and many bank officials. Agriculture Production Commissioner Mrs. Shehla Nigar, Finance Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal, Secretaries of various departments, Commissioners, Director level officers and bankers were present in the meeting.