FM Sitharaman Urges Public Sector Banks to Leverage Robust Balance Sheets for 'Viksit Bharat' Growth Phase

NEW DELHI — Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has issued a clarion call to Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to capitalize on their unprecedented financial health and historically low non-performing assets (NPAs) to spearhead India’s next major wave of economic expansion and structural reforms. Addressing the high-profile PSB Confluence 2026 in New Delhi, the Finance Minister underscored that the Indian banking sector has crossed a monumental milestone after years of rigorous balance-sheet cleanup, positioning lenders at an optimal vantage point to drive the nation's long-term developmental agenda.

Highlighting the monumental national goal of achieving a developed economy status by 2047, Sitharaman stated that lenders must now shift gears from risk mitigation to aggressive, quality-driven growth. A core highlight of her address was the formal announcement regarding the imminent constitution of the high-level committee on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat', a vital initiative originally proposed in the Union Budget. This expert panel is tasked with comprehensively reviewing the banking architecture to seamlessly align it with India’s evolving macroeconomic trajectory.

According to the Finance Minister, the upcoming committee will curate grassroot ideas directly from field executives and executioners. Once these strategic recommendations are codified and implemented, the banking ecosystem will be primed to press the accelerator on the broader Indian economy. Furthermore, Sitharaman zeroed in on India’s demographic dividend, noting that 29% of the population falls within the crucial 15-29 age bracket. She directed banks to urgently expand financial access for this demographic by scaling up education loans, tailored entrepreneurship financing, and innovative investment products.

Echoing these sentiments at the conclave, Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Lohiya presented a striking trajectory of turnaround within public sector lending. Lohiya pointed out that the gross NPAs of PSBs have nosedived from a staggering peak of 14.6 percent in March 2018 to an enviable multi-year low of 1.93 percent by March 2026. Concurrently, net NPAs experienced a steep descent from 8 percent down to 2.39 percent over the identical timeframe, fundamentally transforming the risk appetite and lending capacity of state-backed financial institutions.

However, Lohiya cautioned that maintaining this hard-fought momentum requires continuous adaptation. As rapid technological disruptions reshape traditional business models and evolving customer expectations redefine financial services, banks must sharpen their competitive edge. He flagged deposit mobilization as an immediate operational priority amidst shifting household savings patterns, urging institutions to fortify their deposit architecture through enhanced digital convenience, superior customer service, and innovative retail products.

Beyond traditional banking operations, the leadership at the conclave identified high-impact financing frontiers essential for the startup and enterprise ecosystem. Lohiya emphasized untapped commercial opportunities in funding Global Capability Centres (GCCs), modernizing agriculture and horticulture value chains, and expanding priority-sector lending. He urged financial institutions to look past conventional farm credit and aggressively finance end-to-end infrastructure including storage facilities, cold chains, advanced food processing units, logistics networks, packaging technology, and market linkages. As India marches toward its 2047 vision, the convergence of robust banking balance sheets, strategic policy frameworks, and targeted youth-centric credit is expected to unlock unprecedented entrepreneurial dynamism across the country.

"The remarkable turnaround of Public Sector Banks, marked by gross NPAs dropping to a historic low of under 2 percent, is a monumental milestone for the Indian economy. As StartupLanes closely tracks the evolution of the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem, we view this robust financial health of our banking sector as a massive catalyst for startups, MSMEs, and emerging enterprises. When banks leverage their clean balance sheets to back young entrepreneurs, fund modern agri-value chains, and support Global Capability Centres, it creates a powerful multiplier effect. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s push for the 'Banking for Viksit Bharat' initiative provides a clear roadmap. By focusing credit availability on our vast demographic dividend through smart entrepreneurship finance and education loans, we are laying down the absolute bedrock for India to emerge as the undisputed global capital of innovation and sustainable economic leadership by 2047." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes