Illiterate and low-income people who migrate for employment face enormous problems opening bank accounts in places that are distant from their hometowns or villages. The major issue is providing proof of address to the satisfaction of the bank authorities. This problem could be solved if the banking authorities decide to accept the prospective customer’s application if he or she has a bank account in any other part of the country.
Generally, it is not so difficult for someone to provide proof of address when the account is being opened in the hometown or village. So holding an account in any part of India should be a sufficient reason to accept the application of prospective customers in good faith. This is also enough to show that he or she is a genuine citizen of India. A simple proof of address should also be accepted if the employers or landlords certify it. The other point is that in many banks the staff does not disclose the facility of online money transfer, which is free of cost up to a certain limit. So, even the available facilities are not reaching customers. There is nothing that stops the staff from being customer-friendly without violating the rules. They should be trained to help their customers, irrespective of their background.
K V Seetharamaiah, Hassan
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