Tripura govt unhappy with nationalised banks

Agartala, Sep 24: The Tripura government has expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the nationalised banks operating in the state especially supporting the rural masses.

Speaking on the occasion of the eighth bi-annual conference of Tripura Gramin Bank Officers Association (TGBOA) here yesterday, state Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury said most of the nationalised banks were squeezing money from Tripura but investing less in the state.

Referring to latest statistics, he revealed that average credit and deposit ratio in Tripura was only 34 per cent while Tripura Gramin Bank and Tripura State Co-operative Bank's contributions were recorded at 43 per cent and 50 per cent.

The credit-deposit ratio of other commercial banks in state was less than 50 per cent even though they were getting maximum support from the government, Mr Chowdhury said adding that the participation of the commercial banks in development projects in Tripura had not yet crossed 30 per cent.

He, however, criticised the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for turning down the proposal of allowing Tripura Gramin Bank and Co-operative Bank treasury functioning and underlined that almost all the rural areas had come under banking service through these two banks.

Since these banks were not allowed treasury functioning, they were deprived of public sector business and as result, the financial status of the banks could not be stabled substantially, Mr Chowdhury observed.

UNI