India’s largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) is planning to revive its village adoption scheme under corporate social responsibility programme.
The decades-old scheme, now rechristened as “SBI Ka Apna Gaon”, will seek active support of village panchayats in Uttarakhand and other States for its revival.
Its’ main purpose is to achieve 100 percent financial inclusion for all below poverty line (BPL) families. It would also seek to promote self-help groups (SHGs), farm clubs with the participation of NGOs and other development agencies.
The scheme would focus on credit requirements of all eligible rural households and link community services with SBI banking services.
The SBI has already started identifying villages in this regard and has organised a detailed survey wherein the bank’s staff members would act as bridge between the villages and the bank.
In Uttarakhand, the SBI would work in tandem with the State government, which has also launched a similar Atal Adarsh Gram Yojna in all 670 nayay panchayats. One village in each nayay panchayat will be identified under the SBI scheme, with the thrust on development of rural social and infrastructure facilities to remove regional imbalances.
“In our various meetings with the government, we have been given the task to provide banking facilities in all these villages by the state government”, said an SBI official.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has instructed top officials to work in close partnership with banks for strengthening facilities in villages.
