Shimla: Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap on Thursday directed banks to work proactively to increase public awareness about banking facilities and government schemes, particularly in rural areas.Kashyap was chairing a meeting of the District-Level Consultative Committee at the Savings Building, where banking services, implementation of government schemes, credit disbursement, priority-sector lending and non-performing assets (NPAs) were reviewed.
The Deputy Commissioner said many people in rural areas lack adequate information about banking facilities and welfare schemes. He directed bank representatives to conduct effective awareness programmes so eligible beneficiaries can access the available benefits.The meeting was informed that as of June 30, 2026, the district had 1,95,161 accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, including 21,924 zero-balance accounts. The remaining accounts had deposits totalling ₹129.87 crore. A total of 1,31,634 RuPay cards had been issued, of which 75,245 were active.
The district recorded 1,75,203 registrations under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, 4,14,511 under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and 90,825 under the Atal Pension Yojana.
The meeting was also informed that 63 self-help groups had been linked with the banking system and provided assistance of ₹1.31 crore, while two cases had been approved under the PM SVANidhi scheme.
Bank deposits decline, advances rise
During the review period from March to June 2026, total bank deposits in the district declined from ₹44,893.88 crore to ₹44,103.64 crore, a fall of 1.76 per cent. Bank advances, however, increased from ₹21,518.44 crore to ₹21,633.83 crore, registering growth of 0.54 per cent.
The credit-deposit ratio improved from 47.93 per cent to 48.98 per cent. Priority-sector advances increased from ₹12,669.84 crore to ₹13,234.02 crore, a growth of 4.45 per cent. Agriculture-sector advances rose from ₹4,253.89 crore to ₹4,478.49 crore, registering 5.30 per cent growth, while MSME advances increased from ₹3,164.33 crore to ₹3,510.07 crore, a growth of 10.93 per cent.
Education loans increased from ₹75.47 crore to ₹77.82 crore, while housing loans rose from ₹1,321.70 crore to ₹1,403.40 crore.The meeting was informed that ₹463.35 crore had been disbursed through 31,684 crop loan accounts. Under the PMFME scheme, ₹117 lakh was disbursed to 15 accounts, while ₹138.74 crore was disbursed through 6,021 accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
NPAs reviewed
The meeting also reviewed the NPA position of banks as of June 30, 2026. Total bank advances in the district stood at around ₹21,600.83 crore.In the agriculture sector, 10,403 accounts were classified as NPAs, involving ₹345.43 crore, equivalent to 1.60 per cent of total advances. This included ₹308.48 crore in 9,465 farm credit accounts and ₹36.95 crore in 938 accounts linked to other agricultural activities.
In the MSME sector, 5,233 accounts were in the NPA category, involving ₹304.83 crore, or 1.41 per cent of total advances. The Deputy Commissioner urged banks to make their services more accessible and effective and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive timely access to loans and other banking facilities.
