Bank Mitra Yojana will be implemented in all the States of the country for easy availability of banking services to rural self-help groups. This will be done in the background of its effective functioning in Madhya Pradesh under the National Rural livelihoods Mission.
Representatives from 16 states of the country discussed successful implementation of the scheme at a two-day national workshop here on Wednesday. The states include Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
lauding Bank Mitra Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Executive Officer of National Rural livelihoods Mission Shanti Kumari said that all states should include it in implementation of NRlM. An action plan should be chalked out soon to select Bank Mitras, their skill upgradation and linking them with banking activities. She said that all states should provide bank linkage facility to self-help groups in selected development blocks through effective implementation of the scheme.
CEO of State livelihoods Forum lM Belwal informed that rural people have established effective coordination with banks through Bank Mitra Yojana. Their hesitation and fear regarding visit to banks has ended and trust with banks has strengthened.
A Bank Mitra is selected from among community and this has eased loan recovery. Self-help groups in Madhya Pradesh repay 100 per cent loans. Belwal informed that bank linkage of Rs 10,000 crore will be made available in next 5 years for economic upliftment of the rural poor. Belwal also thanked banks for their cooperation in successful implementation of the scheme.
Coordinator of State-level Bankers Advisory Committee Umesh Kumar Singh lauded mutual efforts of Madhya Pradesh’s SHGs for economic upliftment. He informed that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has lauded Bank Mitra Yojana at a recent meeting of the Bankers Advisory Committee.
Chouhan has urged banks to provide financial facilities to SHGs from a single bank instead of multiple handling and also provide second and third phase bank linkage within time-limit. Chairman of Jhabua-Narmada Rural Bank Raghvendra, Chief General Manager of NABARD Madhya Pradesh Rajendra Kulkarni, Deputy GM of Punjab National Bank Zutshi, bank representatives from various states and Bank Mitras also shared their experiences. The workshop was conducted by Mission Manager Rajendra Babu of National Rural livelihoods Mission, New Delhi.