Modi will launch financial inclusion campaign: Jaitley

Says efforts will also be made to introduce mobile banking on all kinds of phones

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the government's campaign for financial inclusion to ensure that 7.5 crore households that do not have access to banking have at least two accounts.

The efforts will also be made to introduce mobile banking on all kinds of phones, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after meeting the heads of PSU banks here today.

"The intention is, in a mission mode, to have a formal campaign which will be announced by the Prime Minister and then throughout the country to have a campaign for inclusion. This campaign for inclusion will be at various layers," he said.

Elaborating on the concept, Jaitley said that in some areas where branches are possible, the regular brick and mortar branches will be created. "Where it is not possible, there smaller branches manned by one or two people would be created".

The layer below that will be kiosks, he said, adding that yet another layer below, will be ATMs and then the human contact through Business Correspondents.

"The objective is to reach every household possible and have at least two account holders in every house. Currently, financial inclusion and the reach of the banking systems extends to about 58-59% and therefore the dark areas which are not covered these include about 7.5 crore households," he said.

Jaitley, during the meeting, also discussed the possibility of exploring and expanding mobile telephony banking. Currently, it can be made available on smartphones, and effort is to extend it to all phones.

"In the course of next two years, we hope to make a considerable headway. The unit for contact is not a village, it is a person And therefore it is a higher level of ambition which we are trying to reach," the Minister said.