UBI to enter 1880 un-banked villages

Agartala, Feb 5 (PTI) The United Bank of India (UBI)has decided to extend services in 1880 un-banked villages witha population of over 2000 in 85 districts in 12 states and oneunion territory by March 31.

The UBI would set up Customer Care Service Points(CCSPs) in un-banked villages where only one BusinessCorrespondent of the bank would make all kinds transactionswith customers in the village through Internet banking, UBIChairman and Managing Director Bhaskar Sen said.

The project would be held under the FinancialInclusion Programme.

Under the programme, the bank has initiated a pilotproject on biometric smart card in 30 un-banked villages inPurulia district of West Bengal in July 2010.

Altogether 419 CCSPs will be set up in Tripura tobring rural people into the ambit of traditional bankingservice and out of which the UBI will cover 103 un-bankedareas by this year, Sen said.

Promising to strengthen the Internet-mobile bankingservice, the UBI CMD said seven branches would be set up inthe Northeast region this year.

On Tripura�s poor Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR), he said,it was not possible to scale it up at par with the nationallevel. "Big investment is needed to boost the CDR and smallscale investment for loan is nothing to do with the demand ofincreasing it," he said.

The UBI would place some proposals to increase the CDR(34 per cent) in the next State Level Banking CoordinationCommittee, Sen said adding "We are ready to disburse big loanand investment but here no one is coming forward to take theopportunity".