NABARD Projects ₹3.15 Lakh Crore Priority Sector Credit Potential for Odisha in 2026–27

Bhubaneswar: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Monday hosted the State Credit Seminar for 2026–27 in Bhubaneswar and released the State Focus Paper (SFP), projecting a priority sector credit potential of ₹3.15 lakh crore for Odisha in the next financial year.

According to the projections, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector is expected to command the largest share with ₹1.52 lakh crore, followed by agriculture at ₹1.14 lakh crore. The remaining credit potential spans housing, education, renewable energy, social infrastructure, export credit and allied sectors.

The seminar was chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, IAS, and witnessed the presence of Principal Secretary (Finance) Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, IAS, RBI Regional Director Dr. Sarada Prasan Mohanty, CGM SBI A.D. Ratna Teja, and Goutam Patra, CGM, UCO Bank and Convenor, State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), along with senior bank officials, State government representatives and key stakeholders.

Inaugurating the seminar, the Chief Secretary highlighted the State government’s Vision 2036 blueprint and called upon banks and stakeholders to align their efforts towards achieving Odisha’s goal of becoming a developed State by 2036 and a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2047. She emphasised that enhanced and timely credit flow would be critical to realising these ambitions.

Underscoring the need for inclusive growth, Garg stressed the importance of transitioning self-help groups and farmers to higher levels of economic activity. “The focus must now shift towards graduating SHGs into SMEs and farmers into agripreneurs,” she said, while also drawing attention to the “missing middle” in the MSME sector and urging banks to support the creation of more small and mid-sized enterprises.

She further called for stronger coordination between banks and line departments to accelerate credit flow for agri-infrastructure, warehousing, off-farm activities and women-led SHGs.

Principal Secretary, Finance, Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, while appreciating the State’s overall credit growth, stressed the need for more balanced regional development. He urged banks to enhance credit penetration in tribal and disadvantaged regions and encouraged private sector banks to scale up priority sector lending to improve the credit-deposit (CD) ratio across the State.

Addressing the gathering, RBI Regional Director Dr. Sarada Prasan Mohanty urged banks to take ownership of the projections outlined in the State Focus Paper, which would form the basis for the Annual Credit Plan of Odisha.

CGM, SBI, A.D. Ratna Teja, lauded NABARD for preparing the State Focus Paper through a consultative, bottom-up approach, while SLBC Convenor Shri Goutam Patra noted that despite strong progress in deposits and credit growth, challenges such as uneven CD ratios, low term lending and gaps in Kisan Credit Card coverage persist.

CGM NABARD V.K. Arya said concerted efforts were required to further enhance credit flow to the priority sector, particularly agriculture and allied activities. Highlighting Odisha’s vast geography, diverse agro-ecology and steady economic growth over the past decade, he said the State holds significant untapped potential for credit expansion.