‘Don’t put onus of fin inclusion on banks alone’

The government’s financial inclusion agenda is desirable but that should not be discriminatory and lead to unmanageable burden on banks with specified lending targets for the poor, said Aditya Puri, Managing Director and Chief Executive at HDFC Bank. “We cannot have two worlds,” said Mr Puri, winner of The Economic Times Business Leader of the Year Award. “We cannot have the haves and have-nots. I think financial inclusion is a political, economical and social necessity. That opening a banking account or giving a loan without creating a repayment capability is not the solution, so please do not have this priority sector targets only for banks.”