Financial services secretary asks banks to achieve financial inclusion targets at earliest

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

SVANidhi) scheme. He further urged banks to devise the strategy and step up efforts to increase the digital onboarding of street vendors and scale up their digital payments, the finance ministry said in a statement on Thursday. PM SVANidhi scheme envisages empowerment of street vendors through hassle free access to affordable credit and their digital onboarding for their economic development.

During the meeting, he reviewed the progress under various social security (Jan Suraksha) schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), and Stand Up India. He also reviewed the progress made by banks with special focus on the progress under the ongoing Jan Suraksha campaign of PMJJBY & PMSBY schemes in all the Gram Panchayats of the country being held from April 1 and urged them to ensure achievement of targets of saturation campaign. The four-month saturation campaign would end on July 31.

The issues related to digital transactions were discussed in the meeting with special focus on promotion of digital payments. Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) was also discussed, it said. The status of the decisions of the consultative committee meeting with regard to holding of special District Level Review Committee (DLRC) to prepare a roadmap to cover the unbanked adults and credit outreach campaign in credit deficient districts were also reviewed in the meeting, it added.

With regard to PM SVANidhi scheme, the statement said, a special campaign was organised by banks and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). A total of 6,808 camps were held during the campaign period. A total number