Solution: The Service Area Approach (SAA) was implemented under the purview of Lead Bank Scheme (LBS). The Service Area Approach (SAA) introduced in April, 1989 for planned and orderly development of rural and semi-urban areas was applicable to all scheduled commercial banks including Regional Rural Banks. Under SAA, each bank branch in rural and semi-urban area was designated to serve an area of 15 to 25 villages and the branch was responsible for meeting the needs of bank credit of its service area. The primary objective of SAA was to increase productive lending and forge effective linkages between bank credit, production, productivity and increase in income levels. The SAA scheme was reviewed from time to time and appropriate changes were made in the scheme to make it more effective.
The Service Area Approach scheme was last reviewed in December, 2004 and it was decided to dispense with the restrictive provisions of the scheme while retaining the positive features of the SAA such as credit planning and monitoring of the credit purveyance. Accordingly, under SAA the allocation of villages among the rural and semi- urban branches of banks were made not applicable for lending except under Government Sponsored schemes. Thus, while the commercial banks and RRBs are free to lend in any rural and semi-urban area, the borrowers have the choice of approaching any branch for their credit requirements. Therefore, the requirement of obtaining 'no due certificate' from the service area branch for lending by non-service area branch has been dispensed with. However, banks at their discretion may take 5 steps considered necessary to avoid multiple financing. As the restrictive provisions of the service area have been removed in December 2004, the Service Area Approach is applicable only for Government Sponsored programmes.