2 lakh savings accounts opened in Thiruvananthapuram

More than two lakh new savings bank accounts have been opened in Thiruvananthapuram district for crediting wages of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Indian Overseas Bank, the Lead Bank, is monitoring the performance of banks to ensure that payments do not get delayed.

This was announced during the 2nd District-Level Review Committee on Banking held here on Tuesday.

MORE BRANCHES

Banks were told to open more branches in the rural and semi-urban areas and deliver more credit for the development of the district.

Delivering the inaugural address at the meeting, Mr A. Sampath, Member of Parliament, requested them to devise schemes for encouraging the saving habit among students.

The MP also urged bankers to increase the flow of credit to women.

PRIORITY SECTOR

Ms Indira Padmini, Chief Regional Manager, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Convenor, Lead Bank, delivered the introductory address.

Mr P. Thomas, Assistant General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, and Mr K. T. Thrivicraman, District Development Officer, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, reviewed the performance of banks in the district.

Mr V. R. Muralidhar, Lead District Manager, and Mr R. Gireesh Kumar, Senior Manager, Lead Bank, Deputy/Assistant General Managers of various Banks, officers of various Government Departments spoke on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the meeting was told that financial institutions in the district have disbursed Rs 1,006 crore under the three major sectors of priority sector against the target of Rs 5,393 crore in 2011-12, representing achievement of 19 per cent.

Under the agricultural sector, the disbursements amounted to Rs 611 crore against a target of Rs 2,176 crore, recording achievement of 28 per cent.

ABOVE AVERAGE

Under the services sector, the banks disbursed Rs 364 crore (Rs 2,865 crore) while in the non-farm sector, which includes industrial credit, the disbursement is Rs 31 crore.

Among those achieving more than the district average were IOB, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Union Bank of India, Indian Bank, Catholic Syrian Bank, Bank of Baroda and Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank. State Bank of Travancore and South Indian Bank achieved 18 per cent of the target. The Thiruvananthapuram District Co-operative Bank and other cooperative banks together disbursed Rs 3,293.84 crore against a target of Rs 1,288.26 crore (26 per cent).

The performance of the Kerala State Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank was not ‘up to the mark', the meeting was told.

Bankers have been extending support in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the district, the meeting was told.

RSETI TRAINING

The Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) opened here by the IOB with the help of Central and State Governments has been training women for entrepreneurship and skill development free of cost, especially for those taking up self-employment ventures.

During this week, the RSETI will launch mobile phone repairing, autorickshaw and car driving courses for women.

Total bank deposits in the district stood at Rs 32,327 crore and advances at Rs 26,704 crore. The Credit-Deposit ratio for the district is 83 per cent (up from 75 in the preceding quarter).