Lead Bank Scheme
RBI issues final norms on Lead Bank Scheme to deepen financial inclusion
This story was originally published at 20:12 IST on 19 June 2026
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NEW DELHI – The Reserve Bank of India Friday released the final guidelines for the Lead Bank Scheme, under which a designated bank coordinates activities of banks and the government in each district to improve credit flow to priority sectors and deepen financial inclusion.
The central bank had released the draft guidelines for the scheme on Feb. 13, seeking feedback. As part of the recommendations received, the RBI has now included the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, and district-level banking and financial institutions, in the description of the lead bank.
As per the scheme, a bank has to appoint a lead district manager in each district where it has lead bank responsibility, to exclusively oversee and coordinate the scheme's implementation in that district. A block-level bankers' committee is constituted in each block of a district to coordinate among banks, the government, and field-level development agencies.
The RBI has accepted a suggestion that the lead district manager of the district will convene and chair the block-level bankers' committee meeting. As per the final guidelines, block-level bankers' committee meetings must be held quarterly, with a "suitable exception" for the northeastern states.
The central bank has also extended the maximum time for holding block-level bankers' committee meetings to 60 days from the end of the quarter, from 45 days, with additional flexibility to conduct the meeting by the end of the next quarter, in exceptional cases.
The RBI clarified that the credit-deposit ratio at the district level will be calculated based on the place of utilisation. It also accepted the suggestion that the CD ratio computation should include loans that are digitally disbursed, even without a branch serving as a disbursement touchpoint. End
Reported by Shubham Rana
Edited by Saji George Titus
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