In a stern review meeting, the Deputy Commissioner of Bokaro, Ajay Nath Jha, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the performance of banks in implementing crucial government welfare schemes across the district.
Show-Cause Notices for Absent Banks
During the quarterly review of the District Consultative Committee (DCC) for September, Jha pulled up bank representatives for their failure to achieve set targets. The DC was particularly critical of the absence of several banks from the crucial meeting and announced that show-cause notices would be served to them for their non-attendance.
He highlighted the paradox of rising deposits in the district coupled with extremely poor performance in credit deployment and scheme implementation. "Deposits in the district are rising, but the performance remains extremely poor. This is unacceptable," Jha stated emphatically.
Key Schemes Under Scrutiny
The performance review covered a wide spectrum of government initiatives where banks have consistently fallen short. The major issues discussed included:
- Credit Deposit Ratio (CD Ratio) and the Annual Credit Plan.
- Disbursement of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) and Mudra loans.
- Progress under the SHG–Mudra linkage and PM-SVANidhi schemes for street vendors.
- Sanctioning of education loans and data reporting for Underserved Rural Centres (URC).
Jha directed all banking institutions, especially those with large deposit bases, to immediately submit detailed reports on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken in the region.
Education Hub Suffers Due to Loan Delays
Expressing specific concern over the sluggish approval of education loans, the Deputy Commissioner reminded banks of Bokaro's stature as a major education hub. He pointed out the significant untapped potential for student financing and issued a clear warning.
"Bokaro is a major education hub with significant potential for student financing. Delays or unwillingness in sanctioning education loans would not be tolerated," Jha asserted.
Concluding the review, the DC issued directives to all banking representatives to ensure timeliness, transparency, and accountability in their operations. He stressed the need for a marked improvement in the coming quarter to better serve the public and achieve the goals of various central and state government welfare programs.
