The Government is confident that by January 26, 2015, it would hit the target of 10 crore bank accounts in the country under Prime Minister’s Jan-Dhan Yojana.
Answering questions on Jan-Dhan Yojana in the lok Sabha during Question hour, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the scheme was launched on August 15 and the target by January 26, 2015, was to rope in 7.50 crore houses totaling 10 crore bank accounts.
Members asked the Minister as to how it would open an account in villages where there is no bank, power and ATMs. Jaitely said the Government will depute business correspondents in 2,000 villages to open bank accounts. He said now a house and not a village is taken as a unit for opening bank accounts.
The Finance Minister said the banks will ensure one man does not open two accounts and that undeserving people take advantage of the scheme that ensures life and accident insurance and an overdraft facility upto `5,000 to the account holder .
To the question whether loan was available to the account holder, Jaitely said banks will take a liberal approach and see whether account holder was eligible.