Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked banks to step up lending activities and open more branches in the Eastern and Northeastern regions. He said, financial inclusion means extending financial services to large number of people. In the last budget speech, Mr Mukherjee had said that the government would take steps to provide appropriate banking facilities to habitations having population in excess of 2,000 by March 2012. He was talking to reporters in Patna yesterday after a meeting of public sector banks heads along with the chief ministers of the Eastern and Northeastern states. Mr Mukherji said, they also discussed the ways and means to improve<br/>credit-deposit ratio. The credit-deposit ratio of banks in the Eastern region is 40 per cent against the national average of 72 per cent. Besides, he said, the meeting also discussed state-wise Centrally-sponsored schemes which are implemented by the states with banks. These schemes include the Indira Awas Yojana, NREGA, and other schemes.<br/>Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar raised the<br/>issue of low per capita investment in his state and stressed on the need for extension of bank branches and loans to the poor. He urged Mr Mukherjee to instruct the banks to take steps to improve the Credit Deposit Ratio in the state.