During the period starting mid 1980s and till about 2005, the regulatory focus shifted to consolidation and profitability of banks. Since social initiatives, as argued earlier, were not integrated with business plans and were thought of as non-viable, they were the first casualties. A number of rural branches were closed down or merged or were shifted to semiurban areas as they were considered unviable.
Excessive reliance on public sector banks 15. The thrust of social initiatives has always been on the public sector banks while the private sector banks and foreign banks have not been given adequate social obligations. Besides, too many authorities involved in pursuing financial inclusion also, at times, resulted in dissipation of structured and planned efforts. Absence of technology 16.