The post nationalisation period in the banking sector witnessed substantial amount of resources being earmarked towards meeting the credit needs of the poor. The banking network underwent an expansion phase without comparables in the world. The branch expansion was synergised with massive manpower recruitment drive for manning such branches. Credit came to be recognized as a remedy for many of the ills of the poverty. Credit packages and programmes were designed based on the perceived needs of the poor. Programmes also underwent qualitative changes based on the experiences gained. Besides the programmes initiated by the Central Government, a large number of credit-based programmes were introduced by the state governments with large resource allocations.
