Financial inclusion of 8 more districts in state

Financial inclusion, the process of ensuring access of timely and adequate credit to the vulnerable groups at an affordable cost, has been completed in eight more Orissa districts. A formal announcement in this regard is likely soon.

This would take the total number of districts where financial inclusion process has been completed to 21 from 13 districts earlier. The 8 new districts added to the list are Baragarh, Boudh, Gajapati, Jajpur, Khurda, Bhadrakh, Sonepur and Sundergarh.

The thirteen districts, which were earlier declared as fully financially included, are Cuttack, Ganjam, Puri, Raygada, Nayagarh, Keonjhar, Kendarapada, Angul, Balasore, Kandhamal, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal.

 

Though all the 30 districts of the state were targeted to be financially included by the end of the current fiscal, there are apprehensions that the process may not be completed in some naxal affected districts.

“Though the entire exercise was targeted to be completed by 31st March 2010, it may not be achieved in some naxal affected districts within the targeted date”, an official associated with the process said. The issue figured in the deliberations of the last meeting of the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) and the banks were advised to gear up to complete the process at the earliest.