OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Union Minister Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad has said that the banking industry will expand its network in Arunachal Pradesh as 38 new branches and an equal number of ATMs will be opened in the state in the next six months, according to an official statement issued here on Wednesday. The expansion of the banking network is aimed at improving the economy of the northeastern state, Karad, the minister of state for finance, said after reviewing various financial schemes during a state-level bankers' committee meeting on Tuesday.
"To fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream to expand the country's economy to USD 5 trillion, there is an urgent need to work in every sector," the minister said, as quoted by the communiqué. For penetration of banking services in rural areas, the state government and bank officers need to work tirelessly, he said. A programme for financial literacy among people in urban and rural areas is going on through four mobile vans of NABARD. He, however, said, "More mobile vans would be on requisition for rural banks and would be distributed to all banks for organising such camps in the uncovered villages of the state". Of the approximately 5,500 villages in the state, financial activities are being carried out in 613 villages through post offices, according to the statement. The minister emphasized on the need to increase the credit-deposit ratio of the state, which currently stands at 46 per cent, by providing more financial assistance to the agriculture sector and self-help groups to improve their businesses. Karad also expressed satisfaction over the implementation of all the financial schemes in the state, the communiqué added.
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