State Bank of India on Monday launched CHAKRA, a Centre of Excellence (CoE) aimed at strengthening financing for sunrise sectors critical to India’s long-term economic transformation and its goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
According to an SBI release, the identified sunrise sectors are expected to attract capital expenditure of around ₹100 lakh crore by 2030.
The CHAKRA Centre will function as a knowledge-led platform to support financing for technology-driven and sustainability-focused industries. The bank said it will enhance its risk assessment capabilities and develop innovative financing structures aligned with evolving business models to channel capital into these capital-intensive sectors.
The Centre will focus on eight sunrise sectors: renewable energy, advanced cell chemistry and battery storage, electric mobility, green hydrogen, semiconductors, decarbonisation, smart infrastructure, and data centre infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration, M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, described the initiative as a coordinated ecosystem platform. He said the Centre’s vision of integrating knowledge-sharing, project appraisal, capacity building, and evidence-based policy engagement would accelerate India’s progress towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
SBI said the Centre will drive outcomes through the publication of white papers and sector reports, as well as by hosting industry roundtables to support informed decision-making by investors and policymakers. The initiative builds on the bank’s existing institutional framework, following the earlier establishment of a Centre of Excellence for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Emphasising the bank’s role in supporting national development, Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, Chairman of SBI, said India’s growth in the coming decades would be anchored in innovation, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing.
“With CHAKRA, SBI is strengthening its institutional capability to understand emerging sectors, design specialised financing solutions, and partner with the ecosystem to enable projects that contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development journey,” Setty said, adding that the initiative reinforces the bank’s leadership in new-age technologies and climate finance.
The bank said CHAKRA will also facilitate structured engagement with development finance institutions, multilateral agencies, and start-ups to improve capital flows into sustainable sectors. By focusing on the eight identified areas, SBI aims to build institutional capacity to manage the scale of investments expected over the next decade.
-ANI
