RBI keen to partner state for financial education programme

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which has kicked off its programme on financial education among school and college students in Karnataka on a pilot basis, is keen on extending the programme to Orissa.

RBI wants to introduce this programme in Orissa in collaboration with the state government. RBI Governor D Subbarao had offered to roll out the programme during his meeting with the state chief minister Naveen Patnaik in December 2009.

“We are awaiting the response of the state government to start the programme”, said Kaza Sudhakar, regional director of RBI-Bhubaneswar.

RBI, which is observing its Platinum Jubilee this year, is on a drive for inclusion of financial education in the course curriculum of schools and colleges.

Financial literacy is needed among all sections of the society including the school children as RBI aims at 100 per cent financial inclusion in the country, stated Sudhakar.

The apex bank has decided to develop 200 model villages across the country including nine in Orissa.

Besides 100 per cent financial inclusion in the model villages, all the villagers in these villages need to have awareness on banking activities like the deposits, advances, credit facilities and other schemes of the banks, he said. Stating that the some activities on RBI's financial education programme have already been launched in eight villages of the state, Sudhakar said, the next such programme would be taken up at Niali village in Jagatsinghpur district on March 15.