The flip side of 100 pc financial inclusion

Gulbarga, Feb 1 (UNI) This district in the backward Hyderabad- Karnataka region may have become the first district in Karnataka and second in the country to achieve 100 per cent financial inclusion, but on the flip side the substantial increase in customers has resulted in delayed transactions.

Though every bank branch in the district had reported a surge in account holders, the banks have neither increased their manpower nor opened new branches for providing efficient service. Consequently, all main bank branches, especially in the city, were overcrowded with customers, who have to wait in serpentine queues to carry out transactions. Their woes were particularly pronounced during the first ten days of a month when the number of transactions was high.

The rush in banks followed 1.85 lakh families in urban areas and 3.97 lakh families in the rural areas being made to open bank accounts in the wake of the 100 per cent financial inclusion drive.

Talking to UNI here, State Bank of India Super Market branch Manager Thyagarajan said most of the pensioners had declined ATM cards, expressing inability to operate it as they were illiterates, and personally come to the bank to withdraw money.

''We have to serve all the 13,500 account holders, 4,000 pensioners and 1,500 salary accounts with the existing, limited staff,'' he lamented.

Endorsing his views, a Canara Bank officer, on conditions of anonymity, said it was difficult to execute the heavy transactions of its more than 15,000 account holders and 4,000 pensioners with a meagre 20-member staff.

''The front line staff who directly deal with the customers have been reduced from ten to six. Consequently, a lot of delay happens.

The unions have been demanding increase in manpower for a long time,'' he said.

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