Reserve Bank of India, Bhopal organised a meeting of Financial literacy counsellors on Friday in hotel Courtyard Marriott, Bhopal.
The programme started with a screening of a short film prepared by RBI, Bhopal, telling the banks that financial inclusion drive need not be perceived as a liability instead it should be treated as a business opportunity as an enormous fortune lies at the bottom of the pyramid.
Chairperson of the event, Aruna Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Panchayat, Rural development and Social Justice Department, Govt of Madhya Pradesh. PR Ravimohan, Regional Director, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh RBI, Bhopal, Umesh Singh, SlBC Convenor; Rajendra Singh, CGM, NABARD; Manas Mohanty Member of Faculty, College of Agricultural Banking, Pune addressed the gathering. Controllers of lead banks in Madhya Pradesh and FlCcounsellors of 47 districts of Madhya Pradesh attended the programme.
As per guidelines of the Reserve Bank, Financial literacy Councils (FlCs) are to be opened by lead banks in the lDM’s office in each district and need based FlCs at other centers. In addition, rural branches of scheduled commercial banks are required to undertake FlC activities including outdoor activities once in a month. Role of FlC counsellors in spreading financial literacy under their jurisdiction is crucial for financial inclusion and inclusive growth. To further the agenda of financial inclusion it is imperative to get a first hand feedback from the FlC counsellors and try to mitigate difficulties faced by them.
It is equally imperative to convey instructions and expectations of RBI in no uncertain terms. Communication is necessary to understand the field level realities. FlC counsellors from Panna, Zabua, Raisen and Bhopal talked about their field level experiences and the future course of action which was followed by an active debate by all the participants.
Three street plays, ‘Sikko ki jubani, kare surakshit nivesh’ and ‘sandesh aya hai’, giving messages about the perceived coin shortage, precautions to be taken while investing in
non-banking financial companies and fake emails, SMS were staged during the programme by Reserve Bank of India, Bhopal alongwith an animation film giving basic information about banking facilities.