JAMMU: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired the 15th Union Territory Level Bankers’ Committee (UTLBC) meeting, urging banks to enhance financial inclusion by establishing banking touchpoints in all identified Unbanked Rural Centres (URCs) by June 30. He also stressed the need to boost lending under priority sector schemes, particularly for employment generation.
During the meeting, attended by senior officials from RBI, NABARD, JK Bank, and other financial institutions, it was revealed that banks in Jammu and Kashmir have disbursed Rs 51,647 crore to 13.22 lakh beneficiaries, achieving 99.63 per cent of the Annual Credit Plan in financial terms. However, concerns were raised over shortfalls in priority sector lending.
Dulloo launched the JK Bank Lal Ded Stree Shakti Loan Scheme, aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs by providing them with financial support. He lauded J&K Bank for the initiative and expressed hope that it would foster economic independence for women across the UT.
The meeting also highlighted significant progress in women’s financial empowerment, with J&K Bank and J&K Grameen Bank collectively providing Rs 100 crore in credit to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the DAY-NRLM scheme in a single day to mark International Women’s Day. A token cheque was presented to the Mission Director of JKRLM to commemorate the achievement.
Emphasising financial security, the Chief Secretary directed banks to improve KYC compliance by linking Aadhaar and PAN cards to bank accounts to ensure seamless Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments. He also encouraged banks to increase education loans, enabling students from J&K to pursue higher studies in India and abroad.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks from the General Manager, J&K UTLBC.
