The Malda district administration has launched the ‘Bank Chalo’ initiative to bring more beneficiaries under several government schemes. It has been noticed that schemes related to bank approval are taking more time than usual due to a gap regarding testimonials between the beneficiaries and the bank branch.
To bridge this gap, government officials are visiting different branches of the banks in the presence of beneficiaries so that the problem can be resolved on spot.
The number of beneficiaries are also increasing with this initiative. It has been done in two phases, with one held in November and the other in from December 2 to 8.
In a recent interim study, the administration found out slow movement of the approval process mainly in schemes of Bhabisyat Credit
Card (BCC), Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Self-Help-Group (SHG) credit linkage, Kisan Credit Card, Shramajibi card.
On the block administrative levels, teams of officials have been formed to sort out the names of beneficiaries yet to receive funds and visit to banks in presence of those beneficiaries, the teams
have begun to resolve the matters on spot.
Dibanath Majumder, deputy director of district agriculture department, said: “Among 82 applications under AIF, only 16 were benefitted but with this new initiative of Bank Chalo over 50 have been disbursed now.”
Nitin Singhania, District Magistrate Malda, said: “We are working towards more people getting government facilities.
When we found the gap between bank and beneficiaries we launched this initiative. On December 12, we shall organise a special benefit distribution programme for those who are benefitted through this initiative and others applied for different benefits after Duare Sarkar camps were over.”