The Chief Minister's Office of Andhra Pradesh announced on Friday, 19 June 2026 that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu presided over the 235th State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) meeting held at the 5th Block of the Secretariat, reviewing the state's annual credit plan for 2026-27 and lending performance across key priority sectors.

What the Meeting Covered

The SLBC session focused on deliberations around the Annual Credit Plan (ACP) for 2026-27, covering institutional lending to the agriculture sector, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and tenant farmers. The review examined how credit disbursements have tracked against targets in each of these categories. The meeting, chaired by CM Chandrababu Naidu, signals the state government's direct engagement in ensuring credit flow to rural and small-enterprise segments.

Context: The SLBC Framework

The State Level Bankers' Committee is a Reserve Bank of India-mandated forum operational since the 1970s under the Lead Bank Scheme, designed to coordinate credit planning between state governments, commercial banks, and regulators. It meets periodically to monitor disbursement against annual credit plans prepared under RBI oversight. The 235th edition of this meeting in Andhra Pradesh underscores the regularity and institutional depth of this mechanism in the state.

RBI's revised Priority Sector Lending (PSL) guidelines, updated in 2015-16, mandate higher lending targets for agriculture, MSMEs, and weaker sections — the same categories reviewed at this meeting. Andhra Pradesh governments have consistently used SLBC forums to push institutional credit toward agriculture and SHGs, sectors that form the backbone of the state's rural economy.

Key Officials Present

The meeting was attended by senior representatives from banking, regulatory, and government institutions. State Chief Secretary Sai Prasad represented the state government, while Union Bank of India MD and CEO Ashish Pandey led the banking delegation as the SLBC convenor bank. Neelam Agarwal, Director at the Union Ministry of Finance, and RBI Regional Director A.O. Basheer were also present, alongside NABARD General Manager K.V.S. Prasad. The presence of central government and apex regulatory officials reflects the multi-stakeholder nature of credit planning in the state.

Stakeholders and Broader Impact

The sectors under review — agriculture, MSMEs, SHGs, and tenant farmers — collectively represent a large share of Andhra Pradesh's workforce and economic activity. Tenant farmers, who often lack land titles, have historically faced barriers to institutional credit; their explicit inclusion in the review agenda signals continued policy attention to financial inclusion gaps. MSMEs, a significant source of non-farm employment in the state, benefit from coordinated credit planning that aligns bank targets with state industrial priorities.

The emphasis on Self-Help Groups aligns with national financial inclusion goals and Andhra Pradesh's own track record of SHG-linked lending, particularly through women's groups in rural districts. Quarterly SLBC reviews tracking disbursement against the 2026-27 credit plan targets, especially in agriculture and MSME categories, will be the key metric to watch in the months ahead.