Bhubaneswar, Jul 1: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held a crucial meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan with representatives of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and HDFC Bank, urging them to significantly improve their participation in various welfare schemes aimed at uplifting the poor.

The Chief Minister expressed concern over the underwhelming performance of these private banks in implementing key schemes such as agricultural loans, PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme), PM SVANidhi, Stand-Up India, housing loans, education loans, and export credit. Citing their poor track record, the state government had earlier removed these banks from its empanelled list on June 21, 2025.

Majhi emphasized that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government has launched several pro-poor initiatives. He said the state’s goal is to integrate economically weaker sections into the financial ecosystem through credit access, thereby boosting employment and income generation.

“Banks are vital partners in delivering welfare schemes. Their active participation is essential to ensure that the benefits reach the grassroots,” the CM stated. He advised the banks to expand their outreach and increase loan disbursal to eligible beneficiaries.

Representatives from the three banks responded positively, assuring the Chief Minister that they are committed to improving their performance and will take swift steps to enhance loan coverage under the targeted schemes.

The meeting was attended by senior bank officials including Munish Sarada (Executive Director, Axis Bank), Smita Bhagat (Country Head, HDFC Bank), and Sumit Mehrotra (Business Head, ICICI Bank), among others. Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Shashwat Mishra also briefed the gathering on the banks’ current performance metrics.

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