Lead bank scheme and regional development

Nationalisation of major banks in India marked the commencement of a new era which brought many innovative and imaginative schemes in its wake and gave a decisive push to the banking industry to move in a desired direction.
Few aspects of banking development, however, are as imaginative and experimental as the Lead Bank Scheme which was designed and developed to make banks the 'real agents of economic development. Under the Lead Bank Scheme, every bank is supposed to be a development bank, banking a public service and banker, a public servant. It enjoins upon the banker the task of leadership not merely in banking but also bringing about the general economic development of the allotted regions. The methodology of the scheme is that commer cial banks are allotted particular district or cluster of districts and act there as the Lead Bank. A Lead Bank has to survey the potential for banking development in the allotted districts, indentify credit gaps and take initiative in endeavouring to fill them up and thus inten sively involve itself in the process of economic development of the region.
This book presents an in-depth study of the working of the Lead Bank Scheme, its role in regional development, pinpoints the limiting factors and suggests a policy-frame to make the scheme an effective instrument of growth with social justice.
This outstanding book will be of great use to scholars and students of economics and commerce, bankers, planners and policy-makers.