PATNA, June 12 -- Bihar's high-level committee (HLC) on banking performance has expressed serious concern over poor progress in Kisan Credit Card (KCC) coverage, weak agricultural lending and the underperformance of several banks on key financial inclusion indicators in the state, said officials on Thursday. During a recent review chaired by development commissioner Mihir Kumar Singh, the committee noted that only 115,000 new KCC accounts had been opened against the annual target of 743,000 during 2025-26 (up to December), achieving merely 15.47% of the target. The committee also observed that only 1.324 million farmers had been covered under the KCC scheme against the cumulative target of 2.672 million farmers, translating into an achievement of 49.53%. Describing the situation as a matter of "serious concern", the HLC pointed out that Bihar has around 18.3 million farmers, of whom 4.848 million have already been registered on the AgriStack platform, creating a substantial database that could be leveraged to expand institutional farm credit coverage. The AgriStack platform is a digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the agricultural sector, designed to link a farmer's unique digital identity with their land records and crops. Often described as the "UPI of agriculture," it digitises the farming ecosystem to streamline access to loans, subsidies, and localised advisories. The Kisan Credit Card scheme is a key component of agricultural credit delivery, providing farmers with timely and simplified access to institutional finance for crop cultivation and allied activities. The high-level committee, constituted by Bihar's deputy chief minister and finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, is chaired by development commissioner and comprises finance secretary, the regional director of the Reserve Bank of India, and the chief general managers of NABARD and the State Bank of India. To address the shortcomings, the HLC, constituted by Bihar's deputy chief minister and finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, recommended a revamp of the state government's performance measurement index used to rank banks on parameters such as annual credit plan (ACP) achievement, credit-to-deposit ratio and implementation of government-sponsored lending schemes. It also recommended integrating KCC and other agriculture-related schemes with the Centre's Jan Samarth portal to streamline application processing, improve monitoring and facilitate faster credit delivery. The high-level committee comprising Bihar's development commissioner, finance secretary, regional director of the Reserve Bank of India and chief general managers of NABARD and the State Bank of India, further proposed extensive awareness campaigns through panchayat-level assistance camps to encourage farmers, self-help groups and Jeevika members to apply for KCC loans through the portal. Officials said that the measures are aimed at improving agricultural credit flow, enhancing financial inclusion and ensuring wider access to institutional lending for farmers across the state....