Patna, October 24 — The Bihar government has for the first time introduced a 100-point performance assessment index to rank banks operating in the state, a senior official said on Saturday. IDFC FIRST Bank currently tops the list with 74 points, Development Commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh said, according to a statement issued by the state's Finance Department.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

'Banks have been classified into three zones based on their score. The Green Zone, indicating excellent performance, includes 11 banks scoring 50 or above, while seven banks fall in the Yellow Zone and several others in the Red Zone. The Red Zone includes leading public sector banks,' the Finance Department statement said. Patna Press, reporting the department's figures, said the State Bank of India scored 32 and Canara Bank 27, while Punjab National Bank scored 45 and Bank of India 47.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

Bihar has set an Annual Credit Plan target of Rs 4.95 lakh crore for the 2026-27 fiscal. As of September 30, banks disbursed Rs 1.89 lakh crore, achieving 38.25 per cent of the target, officials said. The figure was Rs 46,228.29 crore higher than in the corresponding period last year. The MSME sector recorded 52.68 per cent achievement, with credit disbursement of Rs 84,091.21 crore against a target of Rs 1,59,632 crore, while agriculture credit disbursement stood at Rs 43,967.17 crore, or 28 per cent of its target. Overall priority-sector lending reached Rs 1,30,619 crore against a target of Rs 3,55,532 crore, or 36.74 per cent.

Source: NewKerala

The directives were issued during the third review meeting of a high-level committee held at the Old Secretariat on Friday under Singh's chairmanship. Banks were asked to clear pending loan applications, reduce rejection rates and achieve their targets in mission mode, and four additional welfare schemes were incorporated into the credit-monitoring mechanism. Bihar's overall credit-deposit ratio stood at 60.17 per cent on September 30, with total deposits of Rs 6,49,225 crore and outstanding credit of Rs 3,90,655 crore, Patna Press reported.

Source: Patna Press

At the review meeting, Singh directed banks to work in mission mode to achieve their annual credit plan targets, stressing that deposits mobilised in Bihar must be reinvested in the state's development. Senior officials of the Finance Department, the State Level Bankers' Committee, and public and private sector banks were among those present.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine