Home › Circulars › RBI/2023-24/139

RBI reassigns lead bank roles in 6 districts from April 1

No longer current — replaced by rbi-2025-26-12

Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2023-24/139 · issued 22 Mar 2024 · ~2 min read

Quick answerRBI has reassigned lead bank responsibility in six districts across Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, effective April 1, 2024. State Bank of India gains lead in four districts, while Bank of Baroda takes over Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban.

What changed

RBI reassigned lead bank responsibility in six districts: Ernakulam, Idukki, Seoni, Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, and Salem. The erstwhile lead banks—Union Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of India, and Indian Bank—have been replaced by State Bank of India (four districts) and Bank of Baroda (two districts). No changes were made for other districts across the country.

What it means for you

Banks that lose lead bank status in these districts must transfer coordination and reporting responsibilities to the new lead banks by April 1. The new lead banks will now drive district-level credit planning, financial inclusion targets, and government scheme implementation. Lenders operating in these districts should align with the new lead bank for all district-level banking committee activities.

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

Update internal records and district-level coordination contacts for the six affected districts.
If you are the erstwhile lead bank, hand over all lead bank documentation and ongoing initiatives to the new lead bank by March 31.
If you are the new lead bank, prepare to assume lead bank duties from April 1, including convening district credit committee meetings.
Communicate the change to all branch managers in the affected districts to ensure smooth transition.

Who it affects

Lead banks in Ernakulam, Idukki, Seoni, Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, and Salem districts, All scheduled commercial banks with branches in these six districts, District-level banking committees and state-level bankers' committees in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Stated effective date effective April 1, 2024
Decoded by BankPulse 2026-06-18 03:38 IST
Superseded by — rbi-2025-26-12
Status change: superseded 06 Jul 2026, 01:17 IST

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

Which districts are affected by this lead bank reassignment?

Six districts: Ernakulam and Idukki in Kerala, Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban in Maharashtra, and Salem in Tamil Nadu.

When does the change take effect?

The reassignment is effective from April 1, 2024.

Do other districts see any change in lead bank?

No. RBI has stated there is no change in lead banks for any other district across the country.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI

Notifications - Reserve Bank of India Skip to main content Selected Selected Change Language हिंदी Search the Website Search Home About Us ▼ About Us Organisation & Functions ▶ Organisation Structure Departments Offices Training Establishment ▶ College of Agricultural Banking Reserve Bank Staff College College of Supervisors RBI's Functions and Working Governors Deputy Governors Executive Directors Communication Policy of RBI Sources of Information ▶ Annual Publications Half-yearly Publications Quarterly Publications Monthly Publications Weekly Publications Occasional Publications SDDS NSDP Data Releases Publications available on Subscription General Information RBI History Museum ▶ The RBI Museum RBI Monetary Museum Notification ▼ Notifications Master Directions Master Circulars Amendment Directions Draft Notifications/Guidelines ▶ Draft Notifications/Guidelines Draft Directions (RE-wise) Index To RBI Circulars Standalone Circulars Circulars Withdrawn Press Releases Speeches & Media Interactions ▼ Speeches Media Interactions Memorial Lectures Podcasts Publications ▼ Biennial Annual Half-Yearly Quarterly Bi-monthly Monthly Weekly Occasional Reports Working Papers Legal Framework ▼ Act Rules Regulations Schemes Research ▼ External Research Schemes RBI Occasional Papers Working Papers RBI Bulletin History DRG Studies KLEMS State Statistics and Finances Statistics ▼ Data Releases Database on Indian Economy Public Debt Statistics Regulatory Reporting ▼ List of Returns Data Definition Validation rules/ Taxonomy List of RBI Reporting Portals FAQs of RBI Reporting Portals Home Notifications Notifications ( 378 kb ) Reassignment of Lead Bank Responsibility RBI/2023-24/139 FIDD.CO.LBS.BC.No.16/02.08.001/2023-24 March 22, 2024 The Chairman / Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Lead Banks Concerned Madam/ Dear Sir, Reassignment of Lead Bank Responsibility On a review, it has been decided to reassign the lead bank responsibility in the certain districts as specified below: Sr. No District District Working Code State Erstwhile Lead Bank Lead Bank Responsibility assigned to 1 Ernakulum 970 Kerala Union Bank of India State Bank of India 2 Idukki 976 Union Bank of India State Bank of India 3 Seoni 713 Madhya Pradesh Central Bank of India State Bank of India 4 Mumbai City (earlier name – Mumbai) 600 Maharashtra Bank of India Bank of Baroda 5 Mumbai Suburban 291 Bank of India Bank of Baroda 6 Salem 913 Tamil Nadu Indian Bank State Bank of India 2. The above changes will be effective from April 01, 2024 . 3. There is no change in the lead banks of other districts across the country. Yours faithfully, (Nisha Nambiar) Chief General Manager-in-Charge 2026 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2025 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2024 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2023 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2022 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2021 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2020 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2019 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2018 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2017 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December Archives 2016 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2015 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2014 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2013 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2012 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2011 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2010 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2009 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2008 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2007 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2006 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2005 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2004 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2003 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2002 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2001 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2000 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1999 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1998 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1997 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1996 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1995 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1994 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1993 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1992 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1991 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December Top Back to previous page More Links Bank Holidays Banking Glossary Citizen's Charter Complaints Contact Us COVID-19 Measures E-LMS Events FAQs Financial Education Forms IFSC/MICR Codes Important Websites Opportunities @ RBI RBI Clarifications RBI Kehta Hai RBI’s Vision and Values (1257 kb)--> Right to Information Act Tenders Follow RBI RSS Twitter YouTube Instagram Facebook LinkedIn &copy; Reserve Bank of India. 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Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2023-24/139 · issued 22 Mar 2024. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.

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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 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=12638&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.