Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday said banks should take a constructive approach towards education loans.
Inaugurating a function in connection with the dedication of Ernakulam district as the first meaningful financial inclusion district of the country, he said banks should work seriously in implementing government policies, especially in finance-related matters. Education and knowledge are the investments for the future.
Kerala is much ahead in Aadhaar registration and this is expected to be completed by March, 2013, according to him.
Reserve Bank governor D Subbarao presided over the function. State finance minister KM Mani and UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani addressed the gathering.
Subbarao said the average per branch population in India was the lowest in Ernakulam district at 4,400 while for the entire state this was 7,000. Across the country, this average was 13,000. He added Ernakulam district had 3.7 million bank accounts, while the population was only 3.2 million. It also had the credit of being the first 100 per cent literate district in India.
The chief minister also inaugurated a system where wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme would be given through banks. Under this, workers can collect wages through ATMs/business correspondents giving their Aadhaar number and bio-metric identity.
