HomeCirculars › RBI/2005-06/136

RBI Directs Banks to Boost Credit Flow to SCs/STs

No longer current — replaced by Master Circular RBI/2025-26/56 FIDD.CO.GSSD.BC.No.07/09.09.001/2025-26 dated June 16, 2025
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-06/136 · issued 23 Aug 2005 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has directed all scheduled commercial banks to intensify efforts to meet credit targets for SCs/STs under priority sector and government schemes, ensure strict compliance with existing instructions, and report action taken by September 15, 2005.

What changed

Following a Parliamentary Committee meeting on July 18, 2005, RBI issued fresh advisories to banks. Banks must now give sufficient publicity to SC/ST loan facilities, make all-out efforts to achieve targets under priority sector and schemes like SGSY, SJSRY, SLRS, PMRY, and ensure strict branch-level compliance with the Master Circular on SC/ST credit, with failures reported to the Board. Banks must also adhere to related guidelines on natural calamity relief, farmer indebtedness, and public representative participation in district meetings.

What it means for you

Banks face heightened scrutiny on SC/ST lending performance and must proactively push credit outreach. Non-compliance with Master Circular instructions must now be escalated to the Board, increasing accountability. The directive reinforces RBI's monitoring role and signals that meeting priority sector targets for SCs/STs is a non-negotiable regulatory expectation.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), Bank branches handling priority sector lending, Board of Directors of banks, SC/ST borrowers and communities

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is the deadline for banks to report action taken on this circular?

Banks must acknowledge receipt and advise RBI of the action taken by September 15, 2005.

Which government-sponsored schemes are specifically mentioned for credit flow to SCs/STs?

The circular mentions SGSY, SJSRY, SLRS, and PMRY as key schemes under which banks must make all-out efforts to achieve targets.

What happens if a bank branch fails to follow the Master Circular instructions on SC/ST credit?

Such failures must be brought to the notice of the bank's Board of Directors, ensuring higher-level oversight and accountability.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded by Master Circular RBI/2025-26/56 FIDD.CO.GSSD.BC.No.07/09.09.001/2025-26 dated Jun
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2005-06/136 RPCD.SP.BC.No.34 /09.09.01/2005-06 August 23, 2005 The Chairman and Managing Director All Scheduled Commercial Banks (Excluding RRBs) Dear Sir, Meeting of Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes held on July 18, 2005 As Banks are aware, Reserve Bank of India monitors closely credit flow to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and detailed instructions in this regard have been issued in the form of Master Circular to banks. 2. In the recent meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, held on July 18, 2005, to review the credit flow to SCs/STs, members have made certain observations/ suggestions. In the light of the concern expressed by the Committee, banks are advised a. to ensure that sufficient publicity is given on the facilities extended to SCs/STs so as to bring awareness among the poorer sections of the society. b. to make all out efforts in achieving the targets set for increasing the credit flow to SCs/STs under priority sector advances as well as under the Government Sponsored Schemes such as SGSY, SJSRY, SLRS and PMRY. c. to ensure that all the instructions contained in the Master Circular on Credit facilities to SC/STs are strictly followed by your bank branches while granting loans, the failure of which should be brought to the notice of Banks’ Board of Directors. d. to ensure adherence to the guidelines issued by RBI (i) for providing relief measures by banks in the areas affected by natural calamities vide Master Circular Ref. RBI/2005-06/35/ RPCD. PLFS. BC. 6/ 05. 04. 02/ 2005-06 dated July 1, 2005 , (ii) on relief measures to farmers indebted to non-institutional lenders vide our circular Ref.RBI/2004/266; RPCD. No. Plan. BC. 92 / 04.09.01/ 2004-05 dated June 24, 2004 and (iii) on participation of public representatives in District Level Meetings vide our circular RBI/2005-06/45;RPCD.CO.LBS. BC.No.11/02.01.01/2005-06 dated July 6, 2005 . 3. Banks are requested to play a pro-active role in achieving the targets set for the SCs/STs under priority sector advances keeping in view the significance attached to them. 4.. Please acknowledge receipt and advise us the action taken by 15 th September, 2005. Yours faithfully, (G.Srinivasan) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-06/136 · issued 23 Aug 2005. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=2461&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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