NABARD conducts Bankers cum Stakeholders meeting
Gangtok 16th Oct : The meeting convened by NABARD was chaired by Regional Director,Reserve Bank of India .The meeting was also attended by Deputy Director General, Department of Telecommunications, GoI, NABARD RO and participated by a team led by Ajay Kumar Sinha, GM/OiC, Sikkim RO, SLBC Officials and representatives from various Banks (including SFB).
Mewang Lowang, AGM, NABARD, Sikkim RO, highlighted the objectives of the meeting.
Ajay Kumar Sinha, GM/OIC, NABARD Sikkim interacted with the participants and highlighted the relentless efforts of NABARD in spearheading the initiatives of Financial Inclusion in collaboration with other stakeholders across the country. He emphasized the gaps in financial inclusion such as the lack of penetration of banking services in remote areas, poor internet connectivity in some parts of the state, and lack of adequate financial literacy. He urged the banks to approach financial inclusion holistically and leverage the support available under FIF.
Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India, Gangtok in his special remarks, harped on why Banks were reluctant to avail the support from NABARD under the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF). He expressed concern over the lack of requisite participation by banks in financial inclusion initiatives. He underscored the need for banks to bring uncovered people under the ambit of financial inclusion. He advised all the banks to proactively plan their activities and seek support under FIF from NABARD as per their requirement. He also urged all the stakeholders to work in close coordination with each other and workout plans to avail support under FIF at the earliest.
Banks shared their experiences and expressed keen interest in availing themselves of the support under the Financial Inclusion Fund.
