Karangmal to be first digital banking GP in Odisha

NPCI picks up the gram panchayat as a model for financial inclusion

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has taken up Karangamal gram panchayat (GP) in Odisha’s Nuapada district to develop it into a digital village.

“We have taken up a panchayat with seven villages in Nuapada district as a model GP. There has been 100 per cent financial inclusion in that panchayat. NPCI is taking up steps for use of RuPay card by the villagers though training and education,” A P Hota, managing director and chief executive officer, NPCI told media persons  on the side line of an  event “ Transacting Jan Dhan Yojana”, organised by Forum for Inclusive Financial System.

Point-of-sale (POS) terminals were set up at three kirana stores, he added. Today, a State Bank of India ATM was inaugurated in the panchayat.

NPCI has issued RuPay card to villagers under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. About 3,800 RuPay cards were issued in the panchayat. NPCI has partnered with State Bank of India to convert the grampanchayat into an electronic panchayat.

Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar Panigrahi, chief executive officer, Sahaj e-Village Ltd, said, “we are aiming to convert all the common service centre (CSCs) present in the state into business correspondent points for the banks. “Our goal is to convert all the 2,800 CSCs in sixteen districts present in 1,300 gram panchayats into business correspondent points. About 375 CSCs have already been converted into business correspondent points,” Panigrahi added.

“We have been approaching the banks to allow us to act as business correspondents,” said the CEO.

As on January 2015, Sahaj has registered 1.05 lakh accounts with 9,426 average monthly transaction and monthly business volume of Rs 1.83 crore with an average transaction of Rs 2,000.

Latest data collated by State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) shows that 41,63, 801  accounts have been opened across the state with combined deposits of Rs 248.59  crore. Of the total accounts, 32,15,665 are opened with zero balance, constituting 77.23 per cent of the total accounts.

By January end, total number of accounts opened in the country under PMJDY is calculated at 125.473 million out of which 75 million are from rural areas and the balance from urban areas. About 67 per cent of accounts opened under the scheme carry zero balance.