Bankers in Bengal have identified digitisation of land records, easier land use conversion and administrative support in credit recovery as key areas of improvement in the state as part of the consultation process to review the performance of PSU banks that are fast losing market share to private banks and NBFCs.

After collecting suggestions from the branches earlier this month, a two-day meeting of the state level bankers’ committee concluded on Friday where the issues and suggestions compiled would then be taken up for deliberation at the national level scheduled early September.

“Because the land records are not digitised, there is duplicity in loans. So, this is a major recommendation from all the bankers. The bankers should be provided with a kind of facility where they can easily mark and demark their charge, which would avoid a major obstacle in the financial process,” said Ashok Kumar Pradhan, chairman of the state level bankers’ committee in Bengal and MD and CEO of United Bank of India.

A charge is a right which a lender or creditor obtains on a land, property or asset by way of security so that the company pays back the debt. When a loan is given to the borrower, the charge is marked according to the land records. Digitisation of land records could help prevent duplicity of loans.