Smart card facility to be extended across K'taka: BSY

Bangalore, Oct 22 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said the smart card, which was introduced on a pilot basis in three districts for empowerment of rural people, would be extended across the state by next June.

Addressing a State Level Bankers' Committee meeting here, he said the biometric-based smart card was introduced in the districts of Bellary, Gulbarga and Chitradurga in the first phase as part of the implementation of financial inclusion.

The smart card would help the government in paying wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and social security pension to the villagers directly from their bank accounts, he said.

The smart card project, which was implemented by major banks in Karnataka in association with the state government, was considered as a major step in providing empowerment to the rural populace, he said.

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