BHUBANESWAR : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched 2,000 Customer Service Points (CSP) Plus banking outlets under ‘AMA Bank’ scheme to provide banking services in all unbanked gram panchayats (GPs) of the state.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen said financial inclusion is the foundational premise of social and economic progress and empowerment of people. Stating that no country or state can ever achieve inclusive growth without attaining financial inclusion for its people, he said reaching out to the people at the bottom of the pyramid and delivery of public services to the last mile in a fair and transparent manner has been the highest priority of the government.
The Chief Minister further said financial inclusion has remained a challenge as geographical penetration of banks in the state has been rather dismal. “Around 65 per cent of total gram panchayats do not have a brick and mortar bank branch. This had led to severe challenges and difficulties in accessing banking services and availability of direct benefit transfer for a majority of people in rural Odisha,” he added.
The state government has launched AMA Bank in collaboration with six public sector banks - SBI, PNB, UBI, UCO Bank, Bank of India and Bank of Baroda - for providing banking services through CSP Plus banking outlets to every unbanked GP. The scheme is being implemented in a phased manner to cover all unbanked gram panchayats of the state.
According to the chief minister’s office (CMO), in the first phase 750 CSP Plus outlets were opened which are rendering full-fledged banking services like deposits, advance, remittance, loan, Aadhaar enabled payment system, credit linkage to self-help groups (SHGs) and coverage under social security schemes free of cost.
The chief minister said now the rural poor in Odisha do not have to travel long distances any more to avail benefits under different schemes. This is truly inclusive and empowering for the people the state, he added.