States » EastPosted at: Nov 12 2026 5:47PM


Jharkhand minister calls for wider banking network, Rs 15 lakh credit linkage for SHGs

Ranchi, Nov 12 (UNI) Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Dipika Pandey Singh on Thursday stressed the need to expand banking services in villages and proposed credit linkage of up to Rs 15 lakh for self-help groups (SHGs) to strengthen women's entrepreneurship and increase their income.
Speaking at the 97th quarterly meeting of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC), Jharkhand, chaired by Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore at the state secretariat, Singh called for increasing the number of bank branches and ATMs in remote rural areas and improving access to banking services.
She said the Digital Panchayat initiative, launched by the Panchayati Raj Department with support from Common Service Centres (CSCs), aims to provide various citizen and digital services at panchayat buildings.
Under the first phase, 673 panchayats were identified, of which banks approved 335 locations. In the second phase, 571 of the 1,848 selected locations received bank approval, she said.
Referring to more than 32 lakh rural women associated with self-help groups, the minister said their financial discipline and credit records demonstrated their capacity to access and manage institutional finance.
She called for creating more opportunities for them as Bank Sakhis and banking correspondents, besides strengthening credit linkages for SHGs.
Singh also called for bank-supported pilot projects in every district under the 'Nari' scheme to promote rural women's entrepreneurship and industrialisation. She stressed the need for timely bank loans for young people trained by Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), saying access to finance after training was essential for promoting self-employment.
She said providing SHGs with credit linkage of up to Rs 15 lakh would help expand their entrepreneurial activities, increase turnover and improve women's incomes.
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey, senior officials, representatives of the Reserve Bank of India and officials of various banks attended the meeting.
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Tags: #Jharkhand minister calls for wider banking network# Rs 15 lakh credit linkage for SHGs
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