Deputy Governor, RBI for extending banking facilities through ICT initiatives in J&K

           Jammu,March 13 (Scoop News) – -A high level meeting of senior officials of the commercial Banks functioning in Jammu and Kashmir State was held under the Chairmanship of Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India,Mrs. Shyamala Gopinath in Jammu.

                The meeting discussed issues relating to financial inclusion, credit flow to agriculture, industry including tourism and handicrafts, with the bankers. 

She impressed upon the bankers to make all out efforts to reach to the common masses having no banking facilities through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives as a part of its Platinum Jubilee Celeberations.

                The meeting among others was attended by Regional Director, RBI, Mr Arnab Roy, Commissioner Secretary, Finance, Mr Sudhanshu Pandey, CGM NABARD Mr M L Sukhdev and Executive Directors of J&K Bank.

                 In another function,Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Mrs. Shyamla Gopinath today launched Smart Card facility at village Debrah in Udhampur as part of new initiatives under financial inclusion programme.

       During an out reaching programme as a part of Platinum Jubilee celebration of Reserve Bank of India, at village Debrah, the Deputy Governor RBI, said that the introduction of IT-enabled financial inclusion facilitates easy payments to beneficiaries under various schemes of the State and Central Governments such as Social Security Pension Schemes and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) which could be directly deposited in their bank accounts at their door steps.

       Under the financial inclusion through smart card, Mrs. Gopinath apprised that RBI has adopted a total of 160 villages in the country, which include eight in Jammu and Kashmir and one in Udhampur district to ensure cent per cent financial services even to such people having income and poor background. In Jammu and Kashmir state, J&K Bank is implementing the programme, she added.

        On the occasion, Deputy Governor also presented a detailed account of the  role and responsibility of the RBI besides various schemes for the benefits of the consumers. She exhorted upon bank officers to hold awareness camps in far flung areas of the district so that rural people could be educated about the various banking schemes.

       The Dy. Governor also mentioned of the young scholarship scheme of RBI for under graduate students and added that the youth could avail the opportunity through a competitive examination.

       The District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, Mr. Baseer Ahmed Khan lauded the efforts of RBI for adopting village Dabrah in the district under 100 percent financial inclusion through Smart Card facility. He said that this initiative of financial inclusion would make the timely payments of wages under DRDA and MNREGS near to their door steps thereby ensuring promotion and nurturing of self help groups and other credit groups for their socio- economic prosperity.

       Among others, Executive Director Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Mr. A.K.Mehta, Chief General Manager NABARD, Mr. M.L.Sukhdeve, also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the various aspects of financial inclusion.

        Regional Director RBI, Mr. Arnab Roy presented well come address.

Later, Mrs. Gopinath also handed over Smart Cards to the beneficiaries of the village Dabrah and students of local educational Institutional also presented a colourful cultural programme which was highly appreciated by the audiences.