RBI has issued Master Directions on Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification Directions, 2025 (‘PSL Master Directions’), which came into effect on April 1, 2025, and replace the extant regulations on Priority Sector Lending issued by the RBI. The key changes under the PSL Master Directions include:
i. Enhanced focus on lending to weaker sections of society, including women entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises;
ii. Strengthened monitoring mechanisms and improved data reporting frameworks for effective Banks are required to report their priority sector lending performance on a quarterly and annual basis. Institutions that fail to meet priority sector lending targets must contribute funds to government-designated financial bodies. Penalties for non-compliance are structured based on the degree of shortfall in meeting priority sector lending targets; and
iii. Higher weightage is given to credit disbursed in underbanked districts to address regional disparities.