Many workers opt for savings accounts

A two-day camp was held to help workers from unorganised sector open bank accounts

Residents gathered in large numbers at Lingappayana Kadu where banks have launched a special drive to open accounts for people from the unorganised sector near Mangaluru on Sunday.

It has been nearly two decades since Maimuna (60), a native of Hubballi, has been making a living by selling vegetables at different markets in the city. Keeping a major part of the earnings with herself, she has been depositing a partly sum in to an account in a cooperative society.

Facing difficulty in withdrawing cash from her cooperative society account since demonetisation, Maimuna, on Sunday, submitted an application for opening an account at Vijaya Bank, that has a branch near Lingappayana Kadu – a colony in Mulky near Mangaluru where a majority of labourers from North Karnataka are housed.

“This is my first bank account in a nationalised bank,” said Maimuna, who is happy that the bank will give her a passbook. She submitted a copy of her voter ID card that states the area she resides in as Mulky and also her Aadhaar card that has her Hubballi address. The bank staff have asked her to collect passbook and debit card in four days.

Maimuna is among the many residents of Lingappayyana Kadu who submitted their applications to open account during the two-day camp held on Saturday and Sunday.

The camp is being organised following directions by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitely to banks, asking them to help workmen from construction and other the unorganised sectors open bank accounts.

Personnel from SyndicateBank, Vijaya Bank, Corporation Bank, State Bank of India, Canara Bank, and ICICI attended the camp organised by the Lead District Chief Manager Raghav V. Yajamanya, in association with the District Labour Department.

Mr. Yajamanya said he had just a couple of hours to prepare for the camp following directions on Friday night. After deciding Lingappayyana Kadu as the place for the first of the series of camps, Mr. Yajamanya said information was passed on to local labour leaders. On Saturday and Sunday morning, an announcement was made about the camp using the public address system available at Mallikarjun Mutt. Nearly 650 applications were submitted in the two days.

Mr. Yajamanya said the next camp will be organised in K.S. Nagar, which is also in Mulky, on Monday. Banks will independently hold camps too, he said.