The 182nd State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) Meeting for Odisha was held on March 10, 2026, at Hotel Mayfair in Bhubaneswar, bringing together key stakeholders from banking, government, and regulatory bodies to review progress and chart the way forward for financial inclusion and credit growth in the state.
Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh urged banks to play a proactive role in supporting Odisha’s ambitious Vikshit Odisha Vision 2036 and 2047 by facilitating investments and accelerating credit expansion. He highlighted the state government’s incentive of providing rent-free accommodation for opening brick-and-mortar branches in unbanked Gram Panchayats (GPs) and stressed the need for adequate credit flow to critical sectors such as education and housing.
Ashwani Kumar, MD & CEO of UCO Bank and Chairman of SLBC Odisha, presented the latest performance figures, noting that banks had achieved Rs. 1,73,662.58 crore under priority sector lending against an annual target of Rs. 2,52,095.66 crore. He called on all banks to intensify efforts to meet their individual targets by the end of the financial year.
Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Government of Odisha, emphasised enhancing the Credit-Deposit (CD) ratio, achieving Annual Credit Plan (ACP) targets, and promoting the inter-usability of Central KYC (CKYC) records to boost transparency, reduce duplication, and improve the ease of doing business.
Dr Sarada Prasan Mohanty, Regional Director, RBI Bhubaneswar, directed banks to refund unclaimed deposits and those in the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund pertaining to the state government to the Finance Department by March 31, 2026.
Other key participants included Rashmita Panda, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, MSME Department, who advocated for greater credit extension under schemes like PMEGP and PM SVANidhi 2.0, and Prem Chandra Chaudhary, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries & ARD Department, who called for enhanced financing in the agri-allied sector.
Banks were repeatedly urged to ensure prompt processing and disposal of loan applications under flagship government schemes, including PMAY, PMSVANidhi 2.0, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, and others, with no delays or pending cases.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the state and central governments, NABARD, and regional heads of commercial banks, along with the SLBC Convenor.
