Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Santosh Sukhadeve, who also serves as the Chairman of the District Level Review Committee (DLRC) and District Consultative Committee (DCC), chaired the DLRC/DCC meeting for the September and December 2024 quarters at the DC Office Conference Hall, Leh, on January 30.

The meeting was attended by Additional District Development Commissioner, Leh, Sonam Nurboo; Chief Planning Officer, Leh, Tsewang Gyalson; District Development Manager, NABARD, Tsewang Dorjey; Lead District Officer, RBI, Jammu, Amit Kumar, along with representatives from all member banks and line departments.

Convenor/Lead District Manager, Tsering Wangmo, presented the Action Taken Report (ATR) based on the decisions from the previous DLRC meeting and briefed the committee on comments and objections received from member banks.

The committee reviewed the Credit Deposit (CD) Ratio of Leh District, which stood at 47.86% as of December 31, 2024. Total deposits increased from ₹6,204.03 crore in September 2024 to ₹6,358.60 crore in December 2024, while total credit declined from ₹3,080.95 crore in September to ₹3,043.77 crore in December 2024, reflecting a decrease of ₹38.53 crore (1.82%) in the last quarter.

Expressing concern over the low CD ratio (below 40%) of certain banks, including BOB, BOM, ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank, INDUSIND Bank, and JKSCB, the Deputy Commissioner directed them to provide reasons and strategies for improvement in the upcoming quarter.

Discussions covered bank-wise and sector-wise performance under Priority and Non-Priority Sectors, including agriculture, education, social infrastructure, and housing. The committee also reviewed the progress of government schemes such as PMEGP (DIC & KVIC), KCC, MUDRA, SUI, PMJJBY, PMSBY, APY, and assessed banks’ performance in PM Vishwakarma, PM SVANidhi, PMFME, and SEP under NULM & NRLM.

District Development Manager, NABARD, Tsewang Dorjey, emphasized the need to provide eligible borrowers with appropriate loan amounts and directed banks to raise awareness among farmers regarding the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme. Chairman Santosh Sukhadeve instructed that eligible beneficiaries be granted up to ₹2 lakh under the KCC scheme.

Additionally, Senior Manager, CRISIL Foundation, Kifayat Hussain Wani, presented updates on the Moneywise CFL project, funded by RBI and NABARD. Banks, LRLM, and line departments were instructed to collaborate with CFL staff to organize financial awareness camps to ensure maximum financial inclusion.

The committee also discussed and approved the DLRC/DCC meeting calendar for 2025-26. Under the Vibrant Village Programme, SBI and J&K Bank branches in Tangtse, Durbuk, Noma, and Chumathang were assigned to saturate all households across 35 villages under the scheme. Banks were also directed to submit social security data on a quarterly basis.

The meeting concluded with directives for all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of financial schemes and initiatives aimed at enhancing economic growth and financial inclusion in Leh District.