Distt Collector asks banks to operate branches regularly
   Date :18-Apr-2020

Ravindra Thakare_1 
 
 
Staff Reporter :
 
Jan Dhan Yojana aid being deposited in bank accounts of beneficiaries
 
Rs 39 lakh distributed to 1,980 beneficiaries through India Post Payment Bank since March 23 in district
 
 
Amid lockdown, Central Government has started depositing Rs 500/- in the Jan Dhan bank account of each of women beneficiaries. The aid for April has been deposited already, and that for the months of May and June will be deposited gradually. Against this backdrop, Ravindra Thakare, District Collector, has asked the banks to operate their branches regularly.
 
Thakare issued the directives in a meeting of representatives of all the banks, held on Thursday. He directed that the branches of all the banks should function regularly from 10 am to 5 pm from Friday. For customers, the business hours of these bank branches would be 10 am to 4 pm. The bank branches have been asked to be kept open on regular basis as beneficiaries of Jan Dhan Yojana are likely to visit in big numbers. If bank branches function regularly, crowding could be avoided. Nagpur district has 724 branches of various banks. These have total 520 Business Correspondents. Besides, there are total of 801 automated teller machines (ATM). At all the bank branches, hoardings for creating awareness about COVID-19 and measures should be displayed in front areas.
 
To maintain social distancing at these bank branches, circles should be marked at a distance of four feet and customers should be asked to queue up while standing in these circles. Besides, the banks should arrange for sanitiser/hand-wash/soap/water for the customers, he added. The bigger banks can avoid crowding at branches by making available payment to the doorsteps of the customers through Business Correspondents. For the purpose, if required, banks can provide related data to take help of representatives of India Post Payment Bank (IPPB). However, such correspondents should not have any symptoms of COVID-19 or fever, cough, or cold. Besides, the correspondents should not be from hot-spot. The bank should provide mask, sanitiser to the correspondents. IPPB has total 345 post offices in Nagpur district. From these offices, 500 postmen and Gramin Dak Sevak provide Aadhaar-enabled payment system services to the doorsteps of the customers.
 
The services include cash withdrawal, fund transfer, mini-statement, balance enquiry, and pulled money. To avail of these services, customer concerned should have bank account in the district and that account should be linked to his Aadhaar number and mobile phone number. For the services, customers will not be required to pay any charges, stated a press release issued on Thursday night. Since March 23, payment of Rs 39 lakh has been done to 1,980 beneficiaries through IPPB so far. All the customers having accounts in nationalised banks can withdraw money using the said Aadhaar-enabled payment system. Banks are in essential services. The bank officers working in violation of the norms relating to measures to combat COVID-19, will face action under relevant provisions of the Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act, Thakare warned.