Priority sector lending in Nov registers lowest growth rate of this fiscal

02 Jan 2012 Evaluate

Growth in lending to the priority sector continued to slow in the month of November as it grew by just 9.2 percent on an annualised basis as compared to 21 percent during the same month of 2010. November month saw the lowest rate of growth in lending to the crucial sectors during the fiscal 2011-12 owing to lower credit offtake in the agriculture and MSME segments, besides a decline in micro credit.

According to the Reserve Bank of India statement, credit disbursement to the priority sector stood at Rs 12.53 lakh crore in November, as against Rs 11.48 lakh crore in the same month in 2010. Bank disbursements to agriculture and allied activities went up by a meager 7.3 percent to Rs 4.41 lakh crore in the period under consideration while it had gone up by 20 percent on an annual basis in the same month last year.

Growth rate in offtake by the micro and small enterprises (MSME) too eased to 16.1 percent at Rs 4.73 lakh crore in November from a growth rate of 21.6 percent in November last year. Meanwhile, micro credit sector, which had grown by over 51 percent in November last year, registered a decline of 10.5 percent during the month under review to Rs 25,343 crore.

Credit to the housing sector stood at Rs 2.36 lakh crore in November this year, which on an annual basis is just 1.9 percent against the growth rate of 9 percent in November 2010. Bank credit disbursement to weaker sections grew by 11.7 percent to Rs 2.11 lakh crore during the month under review while it had grown at an annual rate of 29.8 percent in November last year. While some priority sectors like agriculture and loans for weaker sections is disbursed at an interest rate lower than the prime lending rates, other segments do not fall under the subsidized lending regime.

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