Gandhinagar, Aug 13 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday urged banks to ensure “credit to the last mile” by making loans and other financial support easily accessible to micro and small entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, rural artisans and small farmers.
Patel appealed while chairing the 190th meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) in Gandhinagar, where he called for faster processing of applications under government schemes and wider coverage of eligible beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister said banks had traditionally been viewed primarily as institutions responsible for lending and financial transactions. Still, their role had expanded to include supporting social development and contributing to the vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, with the banking sector playing a key role in this journey,” Patel said.
He asked bankers to ensure that all eligible farmers who had not yet availed themselves of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme were covered, saying saturation of the scheme would help extend its benefits to the intended beneficiaries.
Patel also highlighted the assistance and incentives announced under Gujarat’s new Industrial Policy-2026 for startups, women entrepreneurs, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs, Divyang entrepreneurs and first-generation entrepreneurs.
He urged banks to use technology to provide timely credit, loans and other financial assistance to such applicants.
Chief Secretary M. K. Das stressed the importance of close coordination between the government and the banking sector for Gujarat’s development and growth.
He appreciated the contribution of banks to the state’s growing economy and economic growth rate. Das also called on bankers to remain vigilant against cyber fraud and mule accounts.
He urged banks to expand their branch network so that residents of even the smallest villages could have easier access to banking services.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Dr T. Natarajan; Bank of Baroda Managing Director and CEO Dr Debadatta Chand; Reserve Bank of India Regional Director Amresh Ranjan; Director in the Centre’s Ministry of Finance, Swagat Bhandari; and senior officials of various banks.
–IANS
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