Efforts are on to make Ernakulam the first district in the country to achieve meaningful financial inclusion as per RBI norms. RBI Governor D. Subbarao will declare the achievement at a function to be held in the district on November 22, the lead district bank Manager K.R. Jayaprakash, told The Hindu.
A campaign is under way to bring all families in the district under banking services. Banks will focus on providing services pertaining to micro insurance policies and remittance services, especially to the migrant population. Wardwise campaigns, taken up by different banks, to assess banking service requirements will be completed by the end of October.
A survey conducted recently by Kudumbasree Mission revealed that nearly 20 per cent adults in the district did not have bank accounts. The banking services in the district were reviewed at the district-level review committee meeting held here on Saturday.
Inaugurating the meeting, Dominic Presentation, MLA, urged banks to contribute towards treatment expenses of the poor affected by chronic ailments under corporate social responsibility projects. He said the rate of interest under the education loan scheme was high. He also sought extension of kisan credit cards to eligible farmers in the coastal belt.
District Collector P.I. Sheikh Pareed urged the banks to give more care while disbursing education loans. He pointed out that there was no uniformity in respect of the applicable conditions or the interest rates under the education loan scheme. He sought financial support from banks for development schemes being implemented by the district administration.
The projects undertaken by the administration include a scheme for cochlear implant for children, setting up a ‘kala gramam’ on Marine Drive to promote traditional arts and implementing a coastal area housing scheme at Chellanam.
