Jharkhand Approves Banking Facilities for 906 Panchayats Under Digital Panchayat Scheme
Jharkhands Digital Panchayat Scheme will provide banking services to 906 panchayats, enhancing access for rural residents.
Ranchi, November 12 (Daily Kiran) : The Jharkhand government has secured approval to expand banking services in rural areas through the Digital Panchayat Scheme, benefiting 906 panchayats. This initiative aims to transform panchayat buildings into centers for digital and financial services, enabling locals to access banking and essential services conveniently.
On Wednesday, Deepika Pandey Singh, the state’s Minister for Rural Development, Rural Works, and Panchayati Raj, shared this update during the 97th quarterly meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) in Ranchi. Chaired by Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore, the meeting emphasized the importance of making banking services accessible to villages and urged banks to play a proactive role in providing financial opportunities for rural women and youth.
Singh highlighted that the success of rural development programs hinges on the availability of banking services in villages. She stressed the need to increase the number of bank branches and ATMs in remote areas. The Digital Panchayat Scheme will also collaborate with Common Service Centers (CSCs) to offer various citizen and digital services at panchayat buildings.
In the first phase of the project, 673 panchayats were identified, with proposals approved to establish banking facilities in 335 locations. The second phase includes 1,848 selected sites, of which 571 have received approval. Together, these phases will pave the way for banking services in a total of 906 locations.
Singh also pointed out the potential for over 3.2 million rural women associated with self-help groups to become bank sakhi (bank friends) and banking correspondents. These women have demonstrated their capabilities through financial discipline and strong credit records. Connecting them to banking services will enhance local facilities and create new employment and income opportunities for women.
Additionally, she proposed promoting rural women’s entrepreneurship and rural industrialization through the ‘Nari’ scheme, suggesting pilot projects in each district with the support of banks. The meeting included Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Cooperation Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey, senior officials from various departments, representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, and banking officials.
