Patna,(BiharTimes): Stating that the credit-deposit (CD) ratio in Bihar continues to be very low chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that the state government would strongly take up the matter with the Centre.

Intervening during Short Notice Question in the state Assembly he said that despite repeated requests to banks, the CD ratio in Bihar is just 40 per cent, which is very low. He charged that banks were receiving heavy cash deposits in the state but were spending it by way of loans in other states.

The chief minister warned that if the banks do not improve their performance the state government would stop depositing money and would even withdraw deposits.

Nitish Kumar said he has repeatedly urged the bank officials during quarterly meeting with them to provide more farm loan, education loan and fertilizer loan but the situation had not yet improved. He said he had raised the matter before the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram when he had come to Bihar last year to attend a bankers’ meet.

He appealed to the House to rise above party politics on this issue.

On his suggestion that Assembly should hold a special debate on the topic, Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary announced that a special House committee would be constituted for the purpose.

Earlier, replying to the question of Achutanand Singh of BJP, Industries minister Renu Kumari said that almost all the banks have faltered in sanctioning loan against the applications made. She said many of the banks had not given loan to anybody despite hundreds of applications submitted to them.