Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 9: People in the rural areas can soon avail all banking facilities at the post offices. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to provide payment bank licence to the department of posts to set up Postal Bank of India by September, Union communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here Thursday.
“The postal bank will enable the network of 1,54,000 post offices to provide banking services to people especially in rural areas,” Prasad said after laying foundation stone for new Baramunda colony post office building here.
Briefing achievements of Modi government, he said, the core-banking facility was available at 236 post offices before NDA government came to power. However, in the last one year, the number of such facilities has extended to 2,590 post offices, he added.
There were only four postal ATMs a year ago and now the number has gone up to 115, he said. He said the style of functioning of post offices has changed in the past six months and the turnover has crossed Rs 500 crore which is a positive development.
Speaking about the Centre’s ambitious Digital India programme, the minister said the postal department has a great potential to make the programme an instant success. There are 98crore mobile phones and 30crore Internet connections for a population of 125crore.
“We intend to provide Internet connections to 50 crore people and make mobile phones available to 120 crore users in the next two years. The Digital India programme will help boost the country’s economy,” he said.
About four crore people have registered themselves for the Jan Dhan Yojana in the past four months by depositing Rs 12,000crore in the banks. Over seven crore people have come under the ambit of three social security schemes, launched recently, the minister stated.
Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda, MP Prasanna Pathsani and BJP state unit president KV Singhdeo were present.
