Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2007-2008/98 · issued 16 Jul 2007 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI adds 18 more minority-concentrated districts, raising the total to 121. Banks must now monitor credit flow to minorities in these districts and report half-yearly performance under the Prime Minister's 15-Point Programme.
The rule, in the simplest words
RBI added 18 more minority‑concentrated districts, so banks now have to watch 121 districts (areas with many minority people).
Banks must check how much loan money goes to minorities in all 121 districts and send a report every six months.
Each bank should update its internal lists, tell every branch to track loans in the new districts, and change the report format to include them.
The loan targets and project locations must match the Prime Minister's 15‑Point Programme (government plan to help minorities).
How it plays out — a real example
Rohit, a credit manager at a scheduled commercial bank in Lucknow, updates the bank's monitoring spreadsheet to add the 18 new districts, emails branch managers asking them to record every loan given to minority borrowers in those areas, and prepares the half‑yearly credit‑flow report that shows the bank’s progress under the Prime Minister's 15‑Point Programme.
What changed
The list of minority-concentrated districts for credit monitoring has been expanded from 103 to 121, with 18 new districts added based on a Government of India communication. The revised Annexure I replaces the earlier list for half-yearly reporting on lending to minority communities.
What it means for you
Banks must now extend their monitoring and reporting framework to cover the additional 18 districts, ensuring equitable credit access for minorities within priority sector targets. This aligns with the Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme, requiring adjustments in branch-level targets and project location planning.
What you must do
Update internal monitoring lists to include all 121 minority-concentrated districts.
Issue instructions to controlling and branch offices to track credit flow to minorities in these districts.
Revise half-yearly reporting formats to reflect the expanded district list.
Align priority sector lending targets and development project locations with the updated district list.
Who it affects
All scheduled commercial banks, Controlling offices and branch offices, Priority sector lending teams, Compliance and reporting departments
❓ Common questions
Which districts are newly added?
The 18 new districts include Leh (Ladakh), West Garo Hills, Lawngtlai, Mamit, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Paschim Champaran, Ranchi, Gulbarga, Bulandshahar, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, Barabanki, Kheri, Lucknow, Koch Bihar, Kolkata, and Barddhaman.
How should banks report on these districts?
Banks must submit half-yearly reports using the revised Annexure I, covering all 121 districts, to demonstrate equitable credit flow to minority communities within priority sector targets.
What is the deadline for implementation?
The circular was issued on July 16, 2007, and banks were required to acknowledge receipt and urgently advise on actions initiated.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2007-2008/98
RPCD.SP.BC.No.13/
09.10.01 / 2007-08
July
16, 2007
The
Chairman/ Managing Directors
All
Scheduled Commercial Banks
Dear
Sir,
List
of additional 18 Minority Concentrated Districts which are not included in the
list of 103 Districts with substantial minority population circulated earlier.
Please
refer to Annex II of our Master Circular ref. RPCD.SP.BC.
12 / 09.10.01/2007-08 dated July 5, 2007 wherein we have enclosed a List of
103 Minority Concentrated Districts for monitoring the credit flow to minority
communities. In this connection, Government of India have now forwarded us an
additional list of 18 districts ( copy enclosed ) to the list
of 103 districts making total number of minority concentrated districts to 121.
Accordingly revised Annexure
I is enclosed herewith for reporting the performance of your bank in lending
to minority communities on a half yearly basis.
You
may, therefore, issue necessary instructions to your controlling offices, branch
offices advising them to specially monitor the credit flow to minorities in these
121 districts as against the 103 districts which are required to be monitored,
thereby ensuring that the minority communities receive an equitable portion of
the credit within the overall target of the priority sector. The above requirement
should be kept in view for purpose of earmarking of targets and location of development
projects under the Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of
the Minorities.
2.
Please acknowledge receipt and kindly advise us of the action initiated by you
in this regard urgently.
Yours
faithfully,
(
G. Srinivasan)
Chief General Manager
List
of additional 18 Minority Concentrated Districts which are not included in the
list of 103 Districts with substantial minority population circulated earlier.
Sl.
No.
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2007-2008/98 · issued 16 Jul 2007. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Issue instructions to controlling and branch offices to track credit flow to minorities in these districts.
📜 Compliance
Update internal monitoring lists to include all 121 minority-concentrated districts.
Revise half-yearly reporting formats to reflect the expanded district list.
Align priority sector lending targets and development project locations with the updated district list.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All scheduled commercial banks, Controlling offices and branch offices, Priority sector lending teams, Compliance and reporting departments), your first concrete step on “Minority Credit Districts Expanded to 121” is: “Update internal monitoring lists to include all 121 minority-concentrated districts.” (RBI issued this 16 Jul 2007).
Circular: RBI/2007-2008/98 -- Minority Credit Districts Expanded to 121
Issued: 16 Jul 2007
Action required: Update internal monitoring lists to include all 121 minority-concentrated districts.
Action required: Issue instructions to controlling and branch offices to track credit flow to minorities in these districts.
Action required: Revise half-yearly reporting formats to reflect the expanded district list.
Action required: Align priority sector lending targets and development project locations with the updated district list.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
💬 Banker Discussion
Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=3725&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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