PSU banks opened 20,000 branches to improve financial inclusion of minorities, says Naqvi

By TwoCircles.net Staff reporter

New Delhi: Pursuant to the submission of Sachar Committee Report, the Central Government is focusing on opening more bank branches in minority-dominated areas, Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday.


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Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in Rajya Sabha that a total of 19,119 branches of public sector banks have been opened in areas with substantial minority population as on March 31, 2014.

He shared the details while responding to a question related to the progress made by the government in increasing financial inclusion of minorities by opening bank branches for them as was advocated in the report.

He also said the Government has undertaken various schemes/initiatives for the welfare of minorities in order to enhance opportunities for education, ensure an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment through existing and new schemes, enhanced credit support for self-employment and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs.

He said, “One of such initiatives include- ‘Public sector banks will be advised to open more branches in Muslim concentration areas’”.

“During 2014-15, 1,153 New bank branches have been opened in the areas with substantial minority population,” Naqvi added.

Replying to another question on the number of branches opened in Tamil Nadu in the last two years in pursuance of the recommendations, Naqvi informed that a total of 9,505 scheduled commercial bank branches were functional in the state as on June 30, 2015.

These include 2,860 rural, 3,236 semi-urban, 2,036 urban and 1,373 metropolitan branches, he said.

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