HDFC Bank launches 'Dhanchayat' in Punjab

Private lender HDFC Bank today launched an awareness initiative 'Dhanchayat' - an educational film made by the bank to raise awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from the unorganised sector, particularly in rural areas.
This film, which was launched in Punjab, has been released under the aegis of 'Swachch' Banking, the Bank's latest CSR initiative.
Through the film, the bank will showcase to the rural population the importance of transparency in financial dealings.
Under this initiative, Dhanchayat video vans will travel across East, West, South, North and Central India, covering villages across the country.
The vans will stop at assembly points such as haats, bazaars, melas and village panchayats, said bank release.

Punjab is the second state after Maharashtra where the bank is rolling out this initiative, it said.

The vans were flagged-off from here by Govind Pandey, Branch Banking Head, HDFC Bank. The bank will cover 1,200 villages across Punjab.
At national level, the Bank will cover 5,000 villages in phase-1, encouraging the local populace to join the organized banking sector in line with the government's vision for financial inclusion.
Pandey said, "Our Board-mandated objective to support inclusive growth cannot be achieved in an environment where misinformation and a lack of familiarity with organized finance is pushing people towards unorganized sources of finance. Through Dhanchayat we hope to change this.