Trading volume of PSLCs up substantially: RBI
Kolkata, Aug 29 : The Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs) scheme is gaining popularity as the total trading volume of the platform stood at Rs 1,843.3 billion at the end of last financial year, up from Rs 498 billion in the previous year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Wednesday.
The PSLCs scheme was introduced in April 2016 as a mechanism to incentivise banks which surpass their targets in lending to different categories under the priority sector.
"The PSLC platform saw active participation from all the eligible entities including Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and Small Finance Banks (SFBs) during 2017-18. At end-March 2018, total trading volume of PSLCs was Rs 1,843.3 billion as against Rs 498 billion at end-March 2017," the central bank said in its latest Annual Report released on Wednesday.
In a manner similar to carbon credit trading, PSLCs allow market mechanism to drive the priority sector lending by leveraging the comparative strength of different banks.
Explaining the scheme, the apex bank said a bank with an expertise in lending to small and marginal farmers can exceed targets and derive benefits by selling the over-achieved credit target through PSLCs. Another bank that is better at lending to small enterprises can buy these certificates while selling PSLCs for micro-enterprise loans.
Among the four PSLC categories, the highest trading was observed in the case of PSLC general and PSLC small and marginal farmer with the transaction volumes being Rs 796.72 billion and Rs 696.22 billion, respectively, it said.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
