SHILLONG: Altogether 60 villages in the State have been identified for installing State Bank of India’s point of sale (PoS) terminals.
The decision was taken in a meeting with bank officials on Wednesday and comes at a time when the Centre is stressing on inclusive banking and pushing for cashless transactions in the country. An SBI official said though connectivity in many villages is a hurdle, the PoS terminals will be initially installed in 60 villages where recruitment of local volunteers has started.
To encourage purchase of PoS machines, the Union government has waived 16.5 per cent excise duty payable on acquisition till March 31 next year.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment and the State administration have jointly initiated a special drive to open bank accounts for workers in the unorganised sector. Awareness camps are being held in different locations.
The SBI official said the bank will issue prepaid cards to people which can be used for financial transactions, including withdrawing money from ATMs and online transactions.
In addition, SBI has also decided to stress on the need for people to use e-wallet, which is another form of cashless transactions.
