Improving livelihood with financial access is the task ahead

Priority now for active use of accounts to save money, get insurance and overdraft

geetanjali

Geetanjali Minhas | January 19, 2018 | Mumbai


#PMJDY   #Jan Dhan   #Financial Inclusion   #State Bank of India   #PK Gupta   #Banking Reforms   #Casebook Launch   #Banking   #Demonetisation  
GN Photo
GN Photo

“Demonetisation has created an entire system of digitisation and financial inclusion,” said PK Gupta, managing director (Retail and Digital Banking), State Bank of India, at the launch of the Governance Now India Financial Inclusion Case Book in Mumbai on Friday. He further stated though there are targets yet to be achieved, approximately 30 crores accounts have been opened in under Jan-Dhan Yojana. Out of these, 10 crores accounts are with SBI. Apart from this the bank has 60,000 banking correspondents. The number of zero bank accounts is less than 20 percent.

Gupta told the gathering that the bank runs 338 financial literacy centres and has trained 42 lakh people so far. It is also running 151 rural self-employment training institutes which have trained 5.37 lakh people. About 3.5 lakh of these people have now self-employed. SBI is now looking at giving loans of Rs 20,000- 25,000 lakhs under Swachh Bharat for the construction of toilets.

AP Hota, former MD and CEO, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), said, “The idea of providing bank accounts has more or less been achieved and no longer a challenge.”

He said that financial access is being provided with 1,26,000 fixed point and 3 lakh business correspondents. “Though people are aware of facilities available in banking system and government schemes, real success will come only when their livelihood improves because of financial access and they stop their dependence on non-institutional channels."

Emphasising on the access to rural healthcare, Hota said that the existing government schemes have to be refined for ‘health for all’. “The next stage of financial inclusion should work in close combination with development machinery in rural areas. Putting all the burden of financial inclusion on banks is not right and it is time to see that the government and banking system work together to see that there is improvement in people’s life,” he said.

Speakers from various public and private banks, cooperative banks and digital solution providers were present in the event.

 
 

Comments

 

Other News

COP28 discusses climate resilient development in Himalayas

Impacts and implications of Climate Change Vulnerability in the Himalayan Region and ways of creating ‘Climate Resilient Development in Indian Himalayan Region by making mountain communities green and resilient were discussed the side event hosted at the India pavilion at the UN Climate Conference CO

Air Pollution: What needs to be done to tame the silent killer

Air pollution in Delhi has been in headlines, as every year in recent times. Mumbai too has suffered from air pollution, despite being a coastal city. Apart from many other metros such as Bangalore and Kolkata, tier-I and -II cities and rural areas also have high pollution levels. Every year reports and st

Free food grains for 81.35 cr beneficiaries for five years

The central government will provide free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of five years with effect from January 1, 2024, the cabinet decided on Wednesday. Terming it as a “historic decision”, a

“I wrote ‘Survival at Stake’ to provide food for thought about solutions”

Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence By Poorva Joshipura HarperCollins, 328 pages, Rs 499 With science now recognising animal consciousness, intelligence, emotion, and even morality, there must rise an awareness of

‘Bon Voyage’ through the Arctic: Exploring new horizons for India

India`s tryst with trade through the Arctic regions, including the Northern Sea Routes (NSR), has become an impact-making endeavor recently. The Arctic of yore is now a pivot – point of geopolitics, of climate change discussions, and for economic opportunities; 40% of oil and gas reserves said to be

Demystifying Contemporary Finance Theory and other lessons in investment

Investing Decoded: Simple Path To Building A Portfolio In Millions By Anirudh Rathore Penguin India, 320 pages, Rs 499

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter