According to a survey made by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), among the different metropolitan centres, the highest share of government sector deposits was recorded in Delhi at 21.3 per cent followed by Chennai at 10.8 per cent. The share of private corporate sector (non-financial) and foreign sector in total bank deposits were highest in Mumbai at 9.9 per cent and 22.1 per cent respectively. The total deposits of commercial banks increased by 18.9 per cent to Rs 6,04,811 crore during the year ended March 1998 and the household sector accounted for the largest share of 66.6 per cent while the other sectors in individually contributed below 12 per cent during the year. The survey covers deposits of all scheduled commercial banks and all types of deposits including interbank deposits for the fiscal year1997-98. While share of deposits of government sector in different population groups varied between 5.2 and 12.3 per cent, the share of household sector deposits among population groups was highest in rural areas at 88 per cent followed by 72.6 per cent in semi-urban and 70 per cent in urban areas.

Metropolitan areas accounted 55.8 per cent shares in total household deposits. The share of the non-residents population was the highest in semi-urban areas at 13.1 per cent followed by metropolitans at 12.5 per cent and rural areas at 4.6 per cent.

Among residents population, farmers accounted for the highest share in rural areas at 38.6 per cent followed by 16.5 per cent in semi-urban, 3.8 per cent in urban areas. Of the total bank deposits as on March 1998, the population group in rural, semi-urban, urban and metropolitan areas respectively accounted for 13.1, 20.4, 22.4, 44.2 per cent.

Among the states, the share of the household sector deposits was the highest in Haryana at 84.9 per cent followed byRajasthan at 84.1 per cent, Sikkim at 83.5 per cent, Mizoram at 82.6 per cent, Bihar at 80.5 per cent.

Among the union territories, the lowest share was in Chandigarh at 56.6 per cent and the highest in Andaman and Nicobar Island at 89.2 per cent.The share of the ownership pattern of deposits was 50.6 per cent for State Bank of India and its associates, 56.4 per cent for nationalised banks, 77.7 per cent for regional rural banks and 38.3 per cent for other Indian scheduled commercial banks and 29.6 per cent for foreign banks.

The share of government sector was the highest in respect of deposits held by State Bank and its associates at 13.4 per cent followed by regional rural banks at 11.2 per cent and nationalised banks at 9.4 per cent.