Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday asked banks to come up with innovative and attractive schemes to mobilise deposits.

Addressing the media after the board meeting of the Reserve Bank of India, she said that deposits and lending are the two wheels of a cart and “deposit is moving slowly.” The banks, she stressed, need to focus on core banking business which is mobilising deposits and lending to those who need funds.

In order to overcome the mismatch between deposits and lending, Sitharaman asked banks to come up with “innovative and attractive” deposit schemes to mobilise funds from the people.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said that interest rates are deregulated and often banks raise deposit rates to attract funds.

“Banks are free to decide on interest rates”, Das added.

Text/Video: PTI