PDS-Confusing Decision

metropolitan branches more or less shun small accounts. Women beneficiaries have 16.4 per cent of the accounts and 13.6 per cent of the amount. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe borrowers had 27.6 per cent and 17.6 per cent, respectively. Between April 1992 and March 1993, Rs 136 crore pertaining to 8.3 lakh small borrowal accounts (1.4 per cent of accounts and 0.4 per cent of amount) were written oft. There is no information on write-off in respect of large borrowers. But going by data on non- performing assets (NPAs), the performance of small borrowers is far superior to that of the big accounts. NPAs of public sector banks in respect of advances with balances less than Rs 25,000 were Rs 3,982 crore as of March 31,1995 which constituted only 10.4 per cent of their total NPAs in respect of all categories of borrowers (Rs 38,385 crore). This proportion is considerably lower than the share of small borrowal accounts in total bank credit of about 20 per cent.