435/2026-2027 

Aizawl, October 12: The third edition of the North East Bankers’ Conclave will be held in Aizawl on October 13, focusing on credit flow to support entrepreneurship, enterprise development and economic growth in the Northeast.

Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat Conference Hall, MINECO, on Monday, Shri Katikithala Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), said the conclave aims to strengthen the integration of the region with the banking network and ensure the availability of formal finance for businesses and entrepreneurs.

The first North East Bankers’ Conclave was held in Shillong, followed by the second edition in Agartala in December 2024. While the previous conclave focused on infrastructure, this year’s edition will concentrate on credit.

Shri Srinivas highlighted the Central Government’s efforts to strengthen banking infrastructure and financial inclusion in the Northeast. Since the Agartala conclave, 131 new bank branches, 126 ATMs and 247 India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) centres have been established across the region.As of September 2026, the Northeast has 6,674 bank branches, 5,823 ATMs and 63,461 Business Correspondent outlets, including IPPB centres.

Of the 9,479 villages identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022 for banking and ATM coverage, 6,905 had been covered as of September 2026, leaving 2,574 villages yet to be covered. Of these, 59 villages are to be covered through 31 bank branches, while the remaining 2,515 villages are to be covered through India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).

Banking infrastructure norms have also been relaxed for the Northeast, reducing the minimum population requirement for banking facilities from 3,000 to 2,000. In Mizoram, only six villages remain to be covered under the revised population norms. Efforts are underway to extend banking services to these villages through IPPB or banking correspondents. Meanwhile, 43 villages in Mizoram remain to be covered through the IPPB mechanism.

The Central Government has continued to focus on accelerating economic development in the Northeast through improved infrastructure connectivity, investment and access to finance. The Rising Northeast Investors Summit, held in May 2025, generated investment proposals worth approximately ₹4.30 lakh crore. Nearly 30 per cent of the commitments are already under implementation.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the Department of Financial Services are working closely with state governments to facilitate investment and expand economic opportunities across the region. Alongside infrastructure development and investment promotion, improving access to banking services and credit remains an important priority for sustaining economic growth.

The North East Bankers’ Conclave 3.0 will bring together banks and senior officials to discuss ways to improve credit availability for enterprises and entrepreneurs in the region, including access to capital for investment and working capital requirements.

Mizoram’s credit-deposit (CD) ratio remains below 50 per cent of the national average, underscoring the need to strengthen credit flow and improve the utilisation of banking resources in the state.