50,000 self-help groups in Haryana: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today that there are about 50,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in the state which can generate employment on a big scale.

He appealed to all the banks to achieve the target of connecting 5 lakh people of the state with the BHIM App for transactions by Diwali this year.

"If one SHG gives employment to 10 persons then through SHGs, about 5 lakh people would get self-employment opportunity," he said.

While addressing people in a function organised on the promotion of digital transactions, the BHIM App and disbursal of loans organised by the Finance Department and Lead Banks in Karnal, the chief minister urged the people to make their transactions through the app.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted economic revolution by getting bank accounts opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana, implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), linking Aadhaar cards to bank accounts and taking the step of demonetisation.

"The bank system has vital contribution to the economic revolution. Before the implementation of the Jan Dhan Yojana, there were 3.50 crore bank account holders in the country and later, it increased to 31.50 crore account holders, which is more than the population of several countries in the world," he said, according to an official release.

Khattar said that there are 4,800 branches of various banks in Haryana which have done transactions to the tune of Rs 2,34,699 crore.

He also urged the people to help the poor workers in getting loan under the Differential Rate of Interest (DRI) loan scheme, which would provide the benefit of about Rs 2,300 crore to the poor.

Finance Minister Abhimanyu said that each branch of banks has been entrusted with the responsibility to add every small shopkeeper or trader to this app.

This would change the way of transactions, bring transparency and save time, he said.