PNB to make BIMARU states healthy

Jaipur, Feb 13 (UNI) Punjab National Bank has taken up ambitious task of converting BIMARU states of North India financially healthy through its banking technology enabled financial inclusion projects, bank Chairman-cum-managing Director KC Chakrabarty said.

Talking to reporters here today Mr Chakrabarty said that this was the part of his bank's bid to bring the banking within the reach of common man in India.

Under the projects bank has targeted to open 1 million 'No Frill' accounts, using biometric enabled SMART card technology with the help of banking correspondents.

These banking correspondents equipped with a SMART card sensor machine would approach people, open their accounts and facilitate their operation at their door steps, linking them with a bank branch through biometric enabled cards and sensor machine.

He said that the bank has decided to launch 13 pilot project based on the financial inclusion theme. Of them three had already been launched in Neemrana (Rajasthan), Tineri (Bihar) and Matki Jharoli (Uttar Pradesh) and 10 more such projects were in the pipeline at different places in the Northern states.

Mr Chakrabarty said that some more people oriented banking products were also to be introduced by the bank soon to speed up the economic growth.

He said that productive sectors including agriculture would get higher priority in bank credit schemes. He said that presently 18 per cent of the total PNB bank credits are advanced in agriculture sector.

Mr Chakrabarty was in the town to inaugurate the new building of banks zonal training centre here.

UNI SS BJR KN1917