PNS|Vijayawada
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday urged bankers to ramp up support for MSMEs, tenant farmers, DWCRA women, and marginalised communities, calling for a unified push towards Andhra Pradesh’s development goals. He appealed while chairing the 231st State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting at the State Secretariat.
Unveiling the Annual Credit Plan for 2025–26, the CM lauded the banking sector for surpassing this year’s credit disbursal target. Against a target of Rs 5.4 lakh crore, the banks achieved a record Rs 6.83 lakh crore—marking a 127% achievement rate. Of this, Rs 4.14 lakh crore was under the priority sector, with Rs 2.68 lakh crore allocated to the non-priority sector.
Naidu urged banks to go further, aligning financial outreach with the Swarnandhra-2047 vision and the State’s mission to eradicate poverty by 2029. He emphasised financial inclusion as a critical pillar of infrastructure-driven, innovation-led growth. MSMEs, he said, would be promoted in every Assembly constituency under the ‘one entrepreneur per family’ model, supported by initiatives like the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub.
Highlighting agriculture as the State’s backbone, Naidu called for direct credit to fishermen to cut out exploitative middlemen. He also outlined regional development plans—Visakhapatnam as a financial and industrial hub, Amaravati as a future-ready capital, and Rayalaseema as a horticulture and electronics manufacturing zone. He urged bankers to tap into opportunities in the petro-corridor and maritime economy.
Reaffirming his government’s ‘Zero Poverty P-4’ policy, Naidu said PPP models would drive inclusive wealth creation.
Bankers assured their full cooperation, citing active disbursals to women entrepreneurs, SHGs, and sectors such as education and housing.
However, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav flagged concern over declining credit growth and called for an in-depth review to ensure sustainability.
The SLBC meet concluded with a clear message: banks are central to Andhra Pradesh’s roadmap for inclusive growth and innovation-led prosperity.
