Kerala declares full banking coverage

Kerala has become the first major State to declare banking coverage to all households under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojna.

State Finance Minister KM Mani made the official declaration and released a Certificate of Declaration at a function held here at the Durbar Hall in the State Secretariat on Tuesday.

The Minister appreciated the efforts of the State-Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) in achieving the milestone. The Yojna is a comprehensive financial inclusion programme launched by the Prime Minister on Independence Day.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy launched it locally on August 28. It was simultaneously rolled out in all 14 districts.

An official of the SLBC said all banks in the State together have opened over 12.8 lakh accounts to achieve full coverage in rural and urban areas.

They have issued 5.25 lakh RuPay debit cards till date. A toll free number 1800-425-11222 has been set up for providing information on the scheme and redressal of grievances.

The official said that a survey was conducted with the help of college students to identify beneficiary families and account-opening camps were conducted at various locations.

The spokesman listed the next tasks ahead for the banks and the State Government as:

(i) Opening of a second account for the woman of the household (ii) issue of Rupay debit card to all account holders (iii) Aadhaar enrolment of remaining families, and (iv) Aadhaar seeding in all accounts.

The State had already achieved most of the six milestones listed under the Yojna, of which the first related to provision of universal banking facilities.

The State now has more than 6,000 bank branches. Every village has a banking channel. This apart, 848 Akshaya e-kiosks in the State are serving as banking kiosks. Their number will go up to 1,222 by the next month.

The State has also achieved the milestone of opening financial literacy centres. It is the first to establish such centres in all 152 blocks, achieving another milestone ahead of schedule.

Among those who attended Tuesday’s programme were PS Rawat, Executive Director, Canara Bank and Chairman, SLBC; KM Abraham, Mission Director for the Yojna in Kerala; U Rameshkumar, Convenor, SLBC and General Manager, Canara Bank; and Ramesh Tenkil, Chief General Manager, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Kerala region.