Mumbai: Based on the recommendations of an Internal Working Group, headed by C.S. Murthy, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with revised guidelines on priority sector lending which take into account the revised definition of small and micro enterprises as per the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.

The revised guidelines will be effective with immediate effect. Any bank which has difficulty in complying with the revised guidelines may approach the central bank with appropriate reasons and time frame for compliance.

As per the revised guidelines RBI will allow banks to include direct finance to companies for agriculture and allied activity of upto Rs1 crore as priority sector lending (PSL) exposure as against the earlier exposure of Rs20 lakh.

Direct finance to agriculture shall include short, medium and long term loans given for agriculture and allied activities (dairy, fishery, piggery, poultry, bee-keeping, etc.) directly to individual farmers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of individual farmers without limit and to others (such as corporates, partnership firms and institutions) up to the limits indicated in Section I, for taking up agriculture/allied activities. Indirect finance to agriculture shall include loans given for agriculture and allied activities.

Direct finance to small enterprises shall include all loans given to micro and small (manufacturing) enterprises engaged in manufacture/ production, processing or preservation of goods, and micro and small (service) enterprises engaged in providing or rendering of services, and whose investment in plant and machinery and equipment (original cost excluding land and building and such items as mentioned therein) respectively, does not exceed the amounts specified in Section I, appended.

The micro and small (service) enterprises shall include small road & water transport operators, small business, professional & self-employed persons, and all other service enterprises. Indirect finance to small enterprises shall include finance to any person providing inputs to or marketing the output of artisans, village and cottage industries, handlooms and to cooperatives of producers in this sector.

Retail Trade shall include retail traders/private retail traders dealing in essential commodities (fair price shops), and consumer co-operative stores.

Provision of credit and other financial services and products of very small amounts not exceeding Rs.50,000 per borrower, either directly or indirectly through a SHG/JLG mechanism or to NBFC/MFI for on-lending up to Rs.50,000 per borrower, will constitute micro credit. Education loans include loans and advances granted to only individuals for educational purposes up to Rs10 lakh for studies in India and Rs.20 lakh for studies abroad, and do not include those granted to institutions.

Loans up to Rs.20 lakh to individuals for purchase/construction of dwelling unit per family, (excluding loans granted by banks to their own employees) and loans given for repairs to the damaged dwelling units of families up to Rs.1 lakh in rural and semi-urban areas and up to Rs.2 lakh in urban and metropolitan areas.