Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa has directed banks to prioritise loan disbursement for education, agriculture and other productive sectors, while emphasising the need to expand credit support for farmers, particularly in livestock activities.
He said the upcoming Dhagwar Milk Plant, which is set to be commissioned soon, is expected to generate employment opportunities, making it imperative for banks to enhance financial assistance to dairy farming.
Bairwa was chairing a meeting of the District Level Consultative Committee, District Coordination Committee and District Level Review Committee in Dharamsala to review progress under the Annual Credit Plan 2025-26 up to December 2025.
The DC instructed all banks to prepare a concrete action plan to improve the Credit-Deposit (CD) ratio and stressed increasing the share of education and agriculture loans. Lead District Manager Kangra, Prithvi Ranveer, said against the annual credit target of Rs 8,945.20 crore for 2025-26, banks had disbursed Rs 6,677.01 crore by December 2025, achieving 74.64 per cent of the target.
He said total deposits in the district stood at Rs 48,986.37 crore, while total credit disbursement was Rs 12,779.68 crore, resulting in a CD ratio of 26.09 per cent. He underlined the need for focused efforts to improve this ratio.
During the current financial year up to the December quarter, 53.61 per cent achievement was recorded under the priority sector, while 308.32 per cent achievement was noted under the non-priority sector. Loans amounting to Rs 1,755.42 crore were disbursed in the agriculture sector and Rs 3,787.98 crore in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
The meeting also highlighted steady growth under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, with banks directed to cover all remaining eligible farmers and extend credit to Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).
NABARD District Development Manager Himanshu Sahu briefed participants on digital initiatives such as e-Negotiable Warehouse Receipts, e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi and credit guarantee schemes aimed at strengthening credit flow to farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). He also stressed the need to develop cold chain and storage infrastructure through schemes like the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund.