Scheduled Commercial Banks Write Off Over ₹16 Lakh Crore in Loans (FY15-FY24)

Current Context: The data on loan write-offs by scheduled commercial banks between FY15 and FY24 was shared by the Finance Ministry in a written response to Parliament on March 17, 2025.

Contents:

• Scheduled commercial banks wrote off over ₹16 lakh crore in loans between FY15 and FY24.
• The write-offs include non-performing assets (NPAs) fully provisioned as per RBI guidelines.
• The report highlights year-wise details of write-offs, with FY19 recording the highest at ₹2.36 lakh crore.
• It emphasizes that write-offs do not absolve borrowers of liabilities, and recovery efforts continue through legal and insolvency mechanisms.

Question:

Q.1 How much loan amount was written off by scheduled commercial banks between FY15 and FY24, as per the Finance Ministry's report?
a) ₹10 lakh crore
b) ₹12 lakh crore
c) ₹16 lakh crore
d) ₹20 lakh crore

Answer: c) The Finance Ministry's report states that scheduled commercial banks wrote off over ₹16 lakh crore in loans between FY15 and FY24.