Dehradun, July 9, 2026: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday reviewed banking services, credit delivery, financial inclusion and various self-employment schemes at the 97th meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee in the Secretariat. He said the banking sector plays a crucial role in the state’s economic growth and asked banks to make credit more accessible to common citizens, farmers, youth, women and entrepreneurs.
Dhami directed special attention to improving the credit-deposit ratio in the state. Expressing concern over the low ratio in Bageshwar, Pauri, Almora, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Tehri, he asked officials to organise regular camps in these districts. He said district administrations, lead banks and concerned departments should jointly identify eligible people and ensure timely credit support. He also said the state should work with the aim of reaching the national average in the credit-deposit ratio.
The chief minister said no eligible person should face difficulty in accessing the benefits of government welfare schemes. If an application has shortcomings, it should not be rejected only on technical grounds; instead, the applicant should be guided to remove the deficiencies. He said banks must play an active role in ensuring that genuine beneficiaries receive the benefits they are entitled to.
Dhami noted that the state’s performance in the annual credit plan and MSME lending has been strong in 2025-26, reflecting positive economic progress. He said the improvement in the credit-deposit ratio is encouraging, but all banks must continue working together to make it better.
He instructed banks to prioritise eligible beneficiaries under schemes such as Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana 2.0, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Swarojgar Yojana, homestay schemes, PM Vishwakarma, PM Mudra and Kisan Credit Card. He also emphasised stronger banking support for enterprises based on agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, tourism and local products.
The chief minister said digital banking and digital payments must reach every village. He called for stronger financial inclusion and wider coverage under schemes such as PM Jan Dhan Yojana.
Dhami said the banking sector has a major role in building a developed Uttarakhand, and that government and banks working together can accelerate employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan suggested that representatives of SBI, PNB, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank be linked with helpline number 1930 to ensure quicker response in cyber fraud cases.
Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, Dr. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Dileep Jawalkar, Nitesh Jha, Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Vinay Shankar Pandey, S.N. Pandey, Shridhar Babu Adanki, Dheeraj Garbyal, RBI Regional Director Arvind Kumar, and other senior officials and bankers were present.
Author: This news is edited by: Abhishek Verma, (Editor, CANON TIMES)
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