Staggered withdrawal of money for Jan Dhan Yojana beneficiaries to maintain social distancing

The Rural Development Ministry has released Rs 500 for women account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in accordance with the announcement made last month by the government and has said that there will be staggered withdrawal of money in the light of social distancing norms to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

A Rural Development Ministry release said that the amount was transferred to the designated accounts on Thursday.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had on March 26 announced that Rs 500 will be given per women PMJDY account holders for next three months under the PM Garib Kalyan Package.

The relief measures were announced for the poor and vulnerable sections in view of the lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The release said that the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has directed the banks to stagger the arrival of account-holders at branches and ATMs for withdrawal of money to maintain social distancing and for orderly withdrawals.

According to the schedule, women PMJDY accountholders having account number with the last digit as (0 or 1) can withdraw it on April 3, those with (2 or 3) on April 4, (4 or 5) on April 7, (6 or 7) on April 8, (8 or 9) on April 9.

After April 9, the beneficiaries may go to the branch or banking correspondent on any date as per normal banking hours.

Banks have been advised to intimate the schedule to the beneficiaries through SMS. Information can also be publicised through other local mediums.

The release said that State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) convenors have been asked to contact the state governments, apprise them of the plan to stagger disbursal and seek their support for suitable security arrangements.

Heads of all public sector and private sector banks have also been asked to issue suitable instructions.