In a major step towards expanding financial inclusion, the Punjab government has planned to bring 1,584 un-banked villages each having a population of over 2,000 under the banking net by March 2011. Financial inclusion is the providing banking services at an affordable cost to the disadvantaged and low-income groups of the society.

Disclosing this, Nagesh Pydah, executive director of Punjab National Bank (PNB) said villages without banking facilities have been identified and the project will be completed as per the schedule. Pydah was speaking at the 110 th meeting of State Level Bankers? Committee (SLBC) Punjab .

The task will be carried out under the Lead Bank scheme of the Centre. As per the recommendations of the scheme, lead banks have been advised to draw up a road map by March this year to provide services through banking outlets in every village.

To provide banking facilities to the last mile customer, PNB, State Bank of Patiala (SBOP), Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) have either initiated providing smart cards to the unserved section of the society in select or identified villages or have plans to start the same. Some banks like the PNB, OBC, SBOP and SBI have also initiated the process of providing biometric cards in identified villages.

All urban and semi urban households have been brought under banks? fold by providing basic banking services, which we would review during the presentation of regular agenda items, Pydah said.

Regarding Incentive Scheme for Quicker Adoption of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) for government schemes, Pydah said the RBI has formulated the EBT Scheme for government payments in respect of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), social security and other such schemes. The convener bank has already requested the state government to examine the scheme and concerned government departments are in process of finalising the modalities for implementation of the scheme in the larger interest of the poor people.

After the implementation of agriculture and debt waiver and debt relief scheme , so far 60,920 farmers have been granted fresh loans amounting to Rs 380 crore in the state. Karan Avtar Singh, principal secretary, finance, Punjab , requested banks, which have not come forward to participate under the EBT scheme, to come forward for implementing it so that all districts were covered under the scheme.