MUMBAI, May 20 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday reprimanded senior officials of private banks for demanding a credit rating (CIBIL) score from farmers who applied for agricultural loans. He warned the officials of action if their banks continued demanding a CIBIL score, and asked them to take the issue seriously and come up with a prompt solution. The issue was raised in the 167th state-level bankers committee meeting chaired by Fadnavis, where a loan disbursement plan worth Rs.44.76 lakh crore for the financial year 2025-26 was approved. During the discussion, it came to light that private banks were demanding CIBIL scores. "A CIBIL score denotes the creditworthiness of a person, and it is not difficult to understand that the credit score of farmers will remain low, considering their financial weakness and track record in repaying loans," said a senior government official who attended the meeting. Fadnavis, while addressing the issue, said that private banks were continuing to demand a CIBIL score. Last year, the state government had issued a warning that FIRs would be lodged against them if they demanded these scores. "You need to take this matter seriously," Fadnavis warned at the Monday meeting. "Even the RBI has clarified that CIBIL scores are not necessary for crop loans. If any branch of any bank continues to insist on a CIBIL score, action will be taken against that branch. I want a decision to be taken on this in this very meeting."...