Usha Ananthasubramanian, Managing Director & CEO, Punjab National Bank, flagged off the PNB Vitiya Jan Chetna Abhiyan from its Head Office, Bhikhaiji Cama Place, New Delhi for spreading awareness among the masses. This awareness will be created in co-ordination with NABARD through 948 camps across 12 States comprising team of 107 Financial Literacy Counsellors and 63 Chief Lead District Managers. These camps will touch one lakh people who will further spread the message to ten lakh people or so. The Project will also involve 1000 schools where 10 volunteers in each school will be made for spreading financial literacy.
The camps will disseminate information on:
- Financial planning and budgeting
- Basics of savings and credit,
- Social security schemes of insurance,
- Remittances,
- Role of business correspondents,
- Use of Micro ATMs,
- Production planning and risk management, etc.
Emphasis shall be given on creating awareness about the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Mudra Loans, Pradhan Mantri Jeewan Jyoti Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Yojana.
While flagging off the march, the MD & CEO exhorted the field functionaries for taking the banking services to the roots of the rural India of 63 Lead Districts of the Bank in particular and other populace in general to bring the untouched masses into banking fold for their overall socio-economic awakening and development.
The flagging off function has been participated by the Top Management Team & staff of the Bank and NABARD Representatives, school children and other citizens. A Nookad Show was organized on the occasion.
Besides creating massive awareness about banking services, the Bank has taken several initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Skill India Programme for skill development and entrepreneurship among the youths for undertaking self-employment ventures with or without bank credit. The Bank has established 54 Rural Self Employment Training Institutes in nine States under the umbrella of PNB Centenary Rural Development Trust which have, so far, trained 1.60 lakh candidates out of which 44 per cent belong to the below poverty line families. With stride on women empowerment, more than 1 lakh women have imparted training.
