Finance minister Shashi Bhusan Behera on Wednesday expressed displeasure over slow pace of credit flow by commercial banks in agriculture sector. During the state level bankers committee (SLBC) meet here, Behera said the annual credit plan target for 2017-18 is fixed at Rs 60,000 crore for lending to priority sectors like agriculture, small and micro enterprises (SME) which support economic activities. “A review of the overall performance under annual credit plan till June-end shows achievement to the extent of 18.49 per cent. A review undertaken by the Reserve Bank of India discloses achievement of 21.97 per cent till July, 2017,” Behera said adding ‘While achievement under SME sector is satisfactory, the performance in the agriculture sector is dismal’ The finance minister instructed the secretaries and heads of departments dealing with priority sectors and controlling heads of various banks to direct filed level officers to work together in creating demand for credit and facilitate early sanction. To ensure free flow of credit, Behera asked the banks to organize credit workshops for sectors like MSME, agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry and diary, textiles, handlooms and handicrafts, housing and higher education. The state government, in the meeting, also emphasized on opening of brick and mortar branches in unbanked gram panchayats. Of the 1474 unbanked gram panchayats (GP) having neither brick and mortar branch nor a banking correspondent, the State Bank of India has made operational banking correspondents in 488 unbanked GPs. Other banks have indicated their consent to open 65 brick and mortar branches and employ 182 banking correspondents, official sources said. Behera urged the banks to complete the process of opening these banking outlets by December so that 50 per cent of the unbanked GPs would have either brick/mortar branches or banking correspondents by end of the current fiscal year. Assuring that the state government would extend all infrastructures for opening up of banking facilities, the finance minister also urged the Reserve Bank of India and SLBC to monitor the progress on a continuous basis regarding expansion of banking network in Odisha.