Bank of Baroda convened 188th Meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), Gujarat on 18th February 2026 at Dena Laxmi Bhavan, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad.

The meeting was presided over by Shri Lalit Tyagi, Chairman, SLBC Gujarat and Executive Director, Bank of Baroda, and attended by Shri Ajay Prakash, IAS, Managing Director, GLPC, Govt. of Gujarat; Shri Amresh Ranjan, Regional Director, RBI, Ahmedabad; Smt. Nidhi Sharma, General Manager, NABARD; Shri Amit Meena, Director (IF), Finance Department, Govt. of Gujarat and Shri Ashwini Kumar, Convenor SLBC Gujarat & General Manager, Bank of Baroda. Senior officials from the Government, RBI, NABARD, various banks and all Lead District Managers were also present, fostering discussions on financial inclusion and economic development in Gujarat.

The Chairman highlighted the State’s strong CD ratio of more than 91% and steady credit growth, while emphasizing the importance of calibrated portfolio expansion, strengthened cyber risk management and alignment with the Union Budget’s “Kartavya” principles to ensure sustainable economic progress. Managing Director, GLPC, Govt. of Gujarat advocated deeper SHG-bank linkage with a focus on women-led economic activity. The Regional Director, RBI, Ahmedabad stressed the need to bridge gaps in agriculture and weaker section lending in view of the evolving industrial structure of the State, while General Manager, NABARD underscored expansion of allied agriculture finance. Director (IF), Finance Department, Govt. of Gujarat called for time-bound coverage of remaining unbanked villages, improved access of formal credit to farmers and intensified field level financial literacy outreach.

The Convenor SLBC Gujarat presented the agenda wise review of banking performance across the state. The forum deliberated on key parameters including credit flow, financial inclusion initiatives, digital payments ecosystem and service delivery mechanism. It was mentioned that Gujarat achieved 94% of the Total Priority Sector Advances disbursement target under the Annual Credit Plan (ACP) as of 31.12.2025.

A presentation by Warehousing Development and regulatory Authority (WDRA) on pledge finance through electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (e-NWR) highlighted opportunities for secure collateral-based lending. Best performing Lead District Managers (LDMs) were also felicitated during the meeting.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Shri Atul Rathi, General Manager, State Bank of India.

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