Keeping in view demonetization derive, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday directed all bankers to launch awareness campaign in villages to educate people for using e-payments through various modes including e-wallets, mobile banking and PoS terminals for cashless transactions.
Sukhbir, in a review meeting with senior officers and Deputy Commissioners regarding execution of various development works and welfare schemes, categorically asked the senior officials of State Bank of India to appoint banking correspondents at village level with PoS terminals and make available micro ATMs to facilitate the people in banking transactions and e-payments.
He also asked the Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) DP Reddy to draft a plan regarding provisioning of debit cards and credit cards to all the account holders besides ensuring availability of PoS terminals at all shops and micro ATMs in each village by the banks.
To facilitate easy e-transactions and encourage digital payments at the grass root level, Sukhbir also asked all the Deputy Commissioners to have meetings with lead banks for adoption of villages and towns to make them fully digital transacting habitats in a phased manner.
Reviewing the rural and urban missions launched in the state, he said that these are vital link in the chain of providing basic civic amenities to the people and must be completed in the time span of next two weeks.
He also instructed that the health cards, under the Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna (BPSSBY), must be distributed within week in all respects.
Sukhbir also directed the DCs to submit compliance report within a week about the free medicine and lab testing centers commenced recently by the state government.
Touching the all important aspect of skill development centers, he said that out of 109 skill centers constructed throughout Punjab, 70 have been made functional while the rest would be operational by 15th December.