Gujarat village banks on a digital future

Sets new benchmark for m-banking with 1,000 savings bank accounts

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India Week concludes with much gusto, a remote village in north Gujarat is setting the benchmark on what digitisation could do to modern India.

Sample this: In what began as a 'Digital Village' pilot by ICICI Bank in January 2014 at Akodara village in Sabarkantha district with mere 200 accounts is today an almost cashless society with over 1,000 savings accounts in a population of 1,191.

What's more, right from farmers selling farm produce to the nearby Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Himmatnagar to students buying stationery from a local shop, m-banking has redefined the way transactions take place in Akodara. One such example is that of 68-year-old Mohan Patel.

"Earlier, I used to receive money from dairy cooperative society on sale of milk, which was spent at home and very rarely, we could save some money. Now, when I sell milk to the dairy cooperative society, I receive money directly in my bank account, as a result of which, I can withdraw money as per my requirement. The culture of saving has been introduced to villagers," says Mohan Patel, head of a five-member family in the village.

Patel's is just one such story in Akodara, among many. Villagers in this largely farming and milk-producing region are not only reaping benefits of selling their produce in the market, but are also warming up to the potential of digital banking.

The bank has enabled villagers to use technology for banking, payments, education, healthcare, among various other services. Patients can avail the facility of telemedicine, WiFi connectivity is available across the village, transactions have become cashless, and textbooks paperless in schools in this village.

"The ICICI Bank has enabled us to deposit our savings. Earlier, we had to travel 12 km to reach Himmatnagar to avail banking facilities. Now, we receive money from dairy cooperative society directly in our bank accounts. We can withdraw depending on our needs and save money accordingly," says Taraben Patel, sarpanch of Akodara.

"Students can avail WiFi facility at PTC College. An e-health centre in the village stores data of villagers in the computer system during their first checkup before offering them consultancy," Taraben Patel adds.

According to another villager, Bhavin Patel (29), smart boards, integrating projectors and computers have metamorphosed village school and anganwadis, with audio-visual digital content being made available for classes one to 10. "Even anganwadi students are now being taught through videos on projector with tech-enabled learning helping students acquire and grasp learning tools quickly," Bhavin Patel adds.

Add to that, the bank's initiative has also led to digitisation of school records and implementation of management software in the village school.

For farmers, the digital village pilot has ushered in access to latest information on prices of agricultural commodities on National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).

While Akodara may have grown significantly in adoption of digitisation, officials state on condition of anonymity that ICICI Bank has no plans to replicate the model in any other village of Gujarat or the country for now. Instead, the financial institution looks to focus on maintaining the rural digital branch in Akodara in Sabarkantha district.