Women engaged in fish retailing can now look to Central Bank of India for credit. The bank is gearing up to launch ‘Cent Matsya Kanya’, a special credit scheme for small fisherwomen.
“Though our intention was to focus on coastal States of Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the scheme will be implemented throughout India.
“The scheme provides working capital of up to Rs 50,000 to a single woman and up to Rs 2.50 lakh to a group of women under liberal terms,” said the bank’s Chairman and Managing Director M. V. Tanksale.
The scheme is to be unveiled soon.
Besides fisherwomen, the bank has also identified women-related activities at various places for extending credit support.
These include chicken embroidery (at Lucknow), marble carving (Jabalpur), embroidery/handicraft (Rajkot) and wooden toy-making at Kondapalli in Vijayawada and Chinnapatnam near Bangalore.
Focus on women
Asked why this sudden focus on women-centric activities, Tanksale pointed out that since its inception in 1911, the bank has paid special attention to the banking requirements of women customers.
“In 1921, Central Bank of India launched a special deposit scheme and a separate department for women at our main office in Mumbai.
“We have taken this forward by starting a Women Entrepreneur Cell (WEC) to empower women.
“WEC was instituted only in March 2013. The cell has since supported around 90 women entrepreneurs under the Cent Kalyani scheme,” he added.
As at end-June 2013, the bank had extended credit of Rs 9,415 crore to women, and nearly Rs 818 crore of this exposure was under the MSME credit.
On plans to start an ‘all-women branch’, he said such branches have already been started in Bhopal and Jabalpur and are doing well.
The bank, he added, plans to start similar branches in each of the 81 regions during the current fiscal.