 Early Times Report
Dehradun, July 11: Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a special meeting of the State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) at the Secretariat on Friday, where he called for further simplification of loan disbursement and insurance claim processes to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach every eligible citizen efficiently.
The Chief Minister emphasized that resolving public issues remains the government’s topmost priority. He instructed officials to streamline the procedures for extending loans under various Central and State Government schemes. Special attention, he said, should be given to simplifying claim settlements under agricultural insurance schemes.
Highlighting the importance of financial inclusion, CM Dhami urged officials to work towards raising the state's credit-deposit (CD) ratio from the current 54.26% to at least 60%. He called for targeted efforts in Uttarakhand’s hill districts, including Tehri, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Almora, Pauri, and Bageshwar, where the CD ratio remains lower than average.
The Chief Minister also announced that large-scale district-level camps will be organized in October, where all departments and banking institutions will work together at one venue to address public grievances and provide on-the-spot benefits under various welfare schemes.
Key Financial Inclusion Highlights Presented in the Meeting:
* Under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Uttarakhand has provided coverage to 48,000 individuals per one lakh population—well above the national average of 40,000.
* The average loan amount under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana in the state stands at Rs 93,900 per borrower, significantly higher than the national average of Rs 62,686.
* Over 39 lakh bank accounts have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the highest among Himalayan states.
* In FY 2024–25, the state recorded a 10.26% increase in loan advances and 9.09% growth in deposits.
* The Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Yojana and Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana have shown consistent growth over the last three years.
* A total of 6,10,636 farmers have benefited from the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, of which 67% are small and marginal farmers.
* 70.23% of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the state have active credit linkage, with a 21% rise in SHG numbers over the past three years.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Shri Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretaries Shri R.K. Sudhanshu and Shri R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Shri Dilip Jawalkar, Shri Nitesh Kumar Jha, Smt. Radhika Jha, and Shri Sridhar Babu Adanki. Also present were RBI Regional Director Shri Arvind Kumar, SBI Chief General Manager Shri Debasish Mishra, Additional Secretary Smt. Ranjana Rajguru, and senior officials from various banks. |
