Sitharaman seeks identification of credit deficient dists for financial inclusion

New Delhi, June 20

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday suggested identification of credit-deficient districts in each state and carrying out special credit outreach camps there.

She also suggested holding a special district level review committee meeting between July 15 to August 15 and inviting MPs from such districts to further brainstorm on ideas of financial inclusion by opening Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts.

She said this while chairing a meeting of a consultative committee attached to the finance ministry, which focussed on financial inclusion.

During the deliberations, Sitharaman reviewed the progress made under PMJDY, Jan Suraksha schemes and MUDRA Yojana.

The meeting was also attended by the Ministers of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Bhagwat Karad, as well as MPs of the consultative committee from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Senior officials of the Finance Ministry as well as RBI, NABARD and other public sector banks were also present at the meeting.

A presentation was given by the banking secretary, highlighting the progress made so far and the way forward for furthering the financial inclusion drive of the government.

The Finance Minister said that for those still outside bank reach, the MPs should pro-actively participate in the financial inclusion efforts, and guide banks and financial institutions for their effective implementation in their constituencies.