Hyderabad:Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday said the state government was giving top priority to welfare schemes, economic self-reliance, construction of Future City, women empowerment and rejuvenation of the Musi River as part of its inclusive development agenda.
Participating in the 49th State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting held at Praja Bhavan along with agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, Bhatti said the state had recorded remarkable progress in the banking sector with deposits touching nearly Rs 9.43 lakh crore and advances reaching Rs 12.34 lakh crore. He said Telangana’s credit-deposit ratio stood at an impressive 130.78 per cent, well above the national average.
Bhatti expressed satisfaction over banks surpassing agricultural loan targets during the financial year. Against a target of Rs 1,65,297 crore, banks disbursed agricultural loans worth Rs 1,68,401 crore, achieving 101.88 per cent of the target. Stating that agriculture remained the backbone of Telangana’s economy, he appreciated banks for extending support to farmers, dairy farmers, fishermen and allied sectors through various schemes, including Kisan Credit Cards.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Telangana was emerging as one of the fastest-growing industrial states in the country and urged banks to focus more on extending loans to micro, small and medium enterprises, apart from women, Dalit and tribal entrepreneurs. He also appealed to banks to adopt a more positive approach towards educational loans, stating that student loans were investments in the future of the youth.
Nageswara Rao urged banks to play a more proactive role in strengthening Telangana’s rural economy. He said total priority sector lending in the state had reached Rs 4.09 lakh crore, while agricultural loans stood at Rs 1.87 lakh crore. He noted that crop loan disbursement during 2025-26 reached Rs 75,486 crore, achieving 84.34 per cent of the annual credit plan target.
The minister said the achievement of over 101 per cent in total agricultural and allied sector lending reflected the progress of the state’s banking system. He appreciated banks such as Canara Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and TGCAB for exceeding loan targets, while observing that some other banks needed to improve their performance.
However, Nageswara Rao expressed concern that a major portion of agricultural lending was still confined to short-term crop loans. He said agriculture in the state was rapidly shifting towards horticulture, oil palm cultivation, integrated farming, food processing, protected cultivation, dairy, fisheries and mechanisation, and stressed that banks should adapt to these changing requirements by extending long-term investment loans.
He said farmers were maintaining repayment discipline and urged banks not to delay sanctioning investment loans. Pointing out that agricultural NPAs had reduced from 5.23 per cent to 4.71 per cent and that NPAs in term loans stood at only 2.62 per cent, the minister said this reflected the commitment and financial discipline of Telangana farmers.
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