HDFC Bank ltd on Friday launched its unique ‘Dhanchayat’ initiative in Chhattisgarh.
‘Dhanchayat’ is an educational film created by the bank to raise awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from the unorganised sector, particularly in rural areas. The film has been launched under the aegis of Swachh Banking, the Bank’s latest CSR initiative, Smita Bhagat, Branch Banking Head, HDFC Bank said while addressing a press conference here.
“Swachh Banking aims to create a better understanding about clean and convenient banking available through the organised sector. Through the film, the bank will showcase to the rural population the importance of transparency in financial dealings as also the dignity and self-respect of the individual in the borrowing process,” she said.
Bhagat said, “At HDFC Bank, we believe that to create real financial inclusion, we need to go beyond merely providing financial access. Our Board-mandated objective to support inclusive growth cannot be achieved in an environment where misinformation and a lack of familiarity with organized finance is pushing people towards unorganised sources of finance. Through Dhanchayat we hope to change this.”
HDFC Bank-branded Dhanchayat video vans will travel across East, West, South, North and Central India, covering thousands of villages across the country. The vans will stop at assembly points such as haats, bazaars, melas and village panchayats.
At Raipur, the van was flagged-off from HDFC Bank House, Devendra Nagar by Smita Bhagat, Branch Banking Head, HDFC Bank and Sunil Panjwani, Circle Head, HDFC Bank in the presence of senior bank officials.
Chhattisgarh is the sixth state after Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, where the bank is rolling out this initiative. The bank will cover 120 villages across Bhilai, Durg, Rajim, Dhamtari, Kawardha, Bilaspur, Mahasumund, Baloda Bazar, Champa, Sargunj, Amibikapur and Balrampur districts of the State, Bhagat said.
The national launch of Dhanchayat took place in Mumbai, with the first van being flagged off by Aditya Puri, MD, HDFC Bank and Paresh Sukthankar, Deputy MD, from the Bank’s headquarters.
At a national level, the Bank will cover 5000 villages in phase 1, encouraging the local populace to join the organized banking sector in line with the government’s vision for financial inclusion. The vans will also have micro-ATMs with biometric facility fitted in them to enable instant e-KYC and Re-KYC using Aadhar.