**Bhubaneswar: ** Odisha Government has tightened up its belt to provide banking facilities to about 700 gram panchayats (GPs) still deprived of banking facilities.
An important meeting in this regard was held at the zonal office of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) here.
Briefing media after the meeting, Tuhin Kant Pandey, Principal Secretary, Finance, Odisha said, “Today’s meeting at the Reserve Bank of India office here didn’t discuss on inflation rather on banking facilities in rural pockets. There are certain small finance banks and payment banks those who have been accorded license from the RBI, we had invited their respective controlling heads to discuss about opening new branches and provide people banking operation in the unbanked areas in Odisha. As they have got the license for the purpose, they have an opportunity. Let them come over to Odisha and open branch.”
Sarada Prasanna Mohanty, GM, RBI, Bhubaneswar informed, “We had invited 11 such banks. Out of them, 6 are payment banks and 5 are small finance banks. None of their head office is in Odisha. They had come here from different states of India. We apprised them about Odisha’s economic prospect, road infrastructure, social infrastructure, support extended by the State Government and RBI for opening new banks. Today itself we’ll email them a list of 677 panchayats. They will discuss it at their respective bank boards and come back with a positive note in a month and half. Odisha will definitely come under the radar of those banks. As the Odisha Government and RBI have taken the first step in this respect, we’re optimistic of a definite success.”