Chief Secretary Pushes Banks to Boost J&K Lending

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday urged banks operating in the Union Territory to sharpen their focus on priority sector lending and youth-oriented credit schemes, as he chaired the 17th meeting of the UT-Level Bankers' Committee (UTLBC) in Jammu.

- Observer News Service

The meeting reviewed the performance of banks and financial institutions during the first quarter and first half of the 2025-26 financial year, a period marked by security tensions and climate-related disruptions.

Despite the operational challenges posed by the Pahalgam terror attack, heightened cross-border tensions, and widespread flooding earlier this year, Dulloo noted that credit flow to the priority sector had remained “satisfactory”. He described agriculture as a major economic lever for the region and urged banks to scale up lending to the sector under schemes such as the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). Access to credit, he said, would be critical in driving the economic upliftment of rural communities across J&K.