Priority sector lending

Priority sector lending is lending to those sectors of the economy which may not otherwise receive timely and adequate credit. This role is assigned by the Reserve Bank of India to the banks for providing a specified portion of the bank lending to few specific sectors like agriculture and allied activities, micro- and small enterprises, education, housing for the poor, and other low-income groups and weaker sections. This is essentially meant for an all-round development of the economy as opposed to focusing only on the financial sector.

The broad categories of priority sector for all scheduled commercial banks are as under:

(i) Agriculture and Allied Activities (Direct and Indirect finance): Direct finance to agriculture shall include short, medium and long term loans given for agriculture and allied activities directly to individual farmers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of individual farmers without limit and to others (such as corporate, partnership firms and institutions) up to Rs. 20 lakh, for taking up agriculture/allied activities.

Indirect finance to agriculture shall include loans given for agriculture and allied activities as specified in Section I, appended.

This distinction between direct and indirect agriculture is dispensed with. Instead, the lending to agriculture sector has been re-defined to include (i) Farm Credit (which will include short-term crop loans and medium/long-term credit to farmers) (ii) Agriculture Infrastructure and (iii) Ancillary Activities,

(ii) Small Scale Industries (Direct and Indirect Finance): Direct finance to small scale industries (SSI) shall include all loans given to SSI units which are engaged in manufacture, processing or preservation of goods and whose investment in plant and machinery (original cost) excluding land and building does not exceed the amounts specified in Section I, appended.

Indirect finance to SSI shall include finance to any person providing inputs to or marketing the output of artisans, village and cottage industries, hand-looms and to cooperatives of producers in this sector.

(iii) Small Business / Service Enterprises: shall include small business, retail trade, professional & self-employed persons, small road & water transport operators and other service enterprises as per the definition given in Section I and other enterprises that are engaged in providing or rendering of services, and whose investment in equipment does not exceed the amount specified in Section I, appended.