FM Nirmala Sitharaman reviews performance of Regional Rural Banks in North East

Guwahati:Union Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, commenced her three-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh yesterday by chairing a high-level meeting in Itanagar. The meeting was convened to assess the performance of seven Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) operating in the North East region, covering the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.The meeting was attended by M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), along with senior officials from the Finance Departments of all the North Eastern states and heads of participating banks. Key officials from RBI, NABARD, SIDBI, etc. were also present.During the meeting, discussions centered on enhancing business performance, upgrading digital technology services, and promoting business growth in allied agriculture and MSME sectors. The Finance Minister emphasized the critical role of RRBs in supporting rural economies and urged them, along with their sponsor banks, to focus on identifying suitable beneficiaries under various Government of India flagship schemes, including PM Vishwakarma.Additionally, Smt. Sitharaman directed the RRBs to increase their contribution to ground-level agricultural credit disbursement, with a special emphasis on horticulture and allied activities such as piggery, poultry, dairy and fisheries, to further strengthen rural livelihoods.On her second day in Arunachal Pradesh, the Finance Minister will visit Namsai, where she is scheduled to inaugurate the new SBI Regional Business Office, alongside other official engagements aimed at promoting financial inclusion and fostering economic development across the North Eastern region.On the final day of the Union Finance Minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, 2nd October, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will participate in the Swachhata Hi Seva program in Namsai. This participation reaffirms the government’s commitment to cleanliness and community welfare as part of the nationwide campaign.