By Our Reporter
Shillong: Public sector banks have woken up to competition. Post liberalisation, several new-generation private-sector banks changed the face of the industry. Presently all public sector banks have changed the focus and are adopting all innovative banking methods to service the customers be it ATM, Phone Banking, Internet Banking, Systematic money transfers etc.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has gone one step ahead. The bank with an aim to provide banking facilities to Meghalaya villagers at their door-steps launched a programme “Bank on Wheels” on Monday.
SBI Managing Director A Krishna Kumar handed over the “Bank on Wheels” vehicle to Meghalaya Rural Development Society, which has taken up the responsibility to go to villages and provide the banking facilities to villagers, on the SBI Shillong Branch premises here.
Kumar said the vehicle would cover areas not covered under banking services and create financial literacy and awareness of banking habit among the rural masses.
He said opening of bank accounts would be very simple for villagers in the State and they would only need to produce a certificate from the village headman along with a photograph. It is learnt that this vehicle will cover at least five to six villages in a week and the SBI has been given the responsibility to cover 662 unbanked villages in the State by March, 2012. According to SBI, the bank so far has already covered 496 villages.
The SBI in the same function also donated a Tata Marco polo 35-seater bus to Mary Our Help Training Centre. Kumar also donated 64 blankets to Jyotisroat School, an unit of Bethany Society.
