Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary addressing the 71st Bank Day function of State Bank of India in Patna on July 1, 2026. Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui
By A Correspondent
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday said the state’s development was crucial to India’s progress, stressing that the country could not move forward without the advancement of Bihar’s 14 crore people. He urged banks to increase the Credit-Deposit (CD) Ratio to 100 per cent, expand institutional lending to farmers and industries, and assured bankers that the state government would ensure loan repayments.
The Chief Minister was addressing the 71st Bank Day celebrations of the State Bank of India (SBI), organised by the SBI Patna Circle at Gyan Bhawan in the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre. He inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp and congratulated the bank on completing 71 years of service, expressing hope that SBI would continue contributing to Bihar’s development for many decades.
Choudhary said Bihar was on course to reclaim its historic prominence over the next 20 years and called upon the banking sector to become an active partner in the state’s economic transformation. He emphasised the need to strengthen institutional credit for farmers and ensure wider coverage of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme. He added that the state’s plans to expand industrial activity would require sustained support from banks.
Referring to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said around 18.7 million people in Bihar had been directly connected to employment opportunities across various sectors over the past decade. He noted that India had become a global leader in digital banking, with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) handling the world’s largest volume of digital money transfers. He also credited the Jan Dhan Yojana with bringing millions of poor people into the formal banking system.
Highlighting major infrastructure initiatives, Choudhary said an 83-km Marine Drive from Munger to Bhagalpur and a 39-km stretch from Digha to Koilwar would be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model within the next three years. He also announced that 12 townships were being developed across Bihar, attracting an estimated direct investment of ₹1 lakh crore. The government, he said, would seek financial assistance from institutions offering affordable loans for development and public welfare projects.
Earlier, SBI Patna Circle Chief General Manager Anurag Joshi welcomed the Chief Minister with a sapling, a ceremonial shawl and a memento. The programme was attended by MLA Maithili Thakur, Chief Minister’s Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh, District Magistrate Kundan Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K. Sharma, SBI officials and employees.
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