The Bank of Baroda (BOB) will provide banking facilities to 451 villages in Bihar by March 2012 under a financial inclusion scheme.

"Our bank will take banking facilities to the doorsteps of 451 villagers by March 2012, the bank's Executive Director (ED) N S Srinath said here today.

Srinath told reporters that the public sector bank has hired the services of a service provider, Hindustan Computers Ltd, to provide banking facilities to targeted villagers under the financial inclusion scheme.

The BOB has been entrusted with providing banking facilities to 2800 villagers across the country under the scheme, he said.

Referring to financial activities of the BOB in Bihar, he said that it has 103 branches in the state till date and another 10 will come up by March 2011.

The bank stood fourth among all banks to have 100 or more branches in the state.

Srinath said that BOB will seek to attract new customers not only for deposits, but also for availing credit facilities for individuals, students and business activities.

The BOB also has 22 ATM units functioning in the state and 10-15 more would be set up by March 2011.

Srinath said that the bank has been positively contributing to the economic activties in the agriculture-dominant state and implementating the annual credit plan of state governments.

Referring to the economic prospects of Bihar in terms of expansion of banking activities, the BOB official said that the banks' deposit and credit growth would witness a quantum leap once industrial activities took off in the state.

Stating that there had been positive developments in Bihar in recent years like improved law and order, road connectivity and an overall atmosphere for economic development, Srinath said that it was a matter of time that industrialists and investors would look to the state as their a destination for industrial activities.