Checking your bank balances or placing a request for a cheque book has been made as simple and hassle-free as dialling *99# from your mobile.

Just dial *99# from your mobile of any make, every banking service, be it fund transfer or checking balances, comes at platter.

Formally rolled out by finance minister P Chidambaram last Saturday at the national banking conference in Pune, as part of the government's financial inclusion programme, the service, one of the unique empowerment initiatives, is being facilitated by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

"The new initiative is the NPCI's way of making mobile banking more universal. Currently, we need a smartphone to download such applications, which an average mobile user does not have. So, we decided to provide the application even on a simple handset to reach out to a larger section of the society," NPCI Managing Director and Chief Executive A P Hota told PTI.

Currently, the service is available on BSNL and MTNL network across 23 banks.

Hota said that since there are 14 mobile operators, it will take some more time before it gains traction.