West Bengal government today decided to provide basic infrastructure to nationalised banks for opening new branches in various unbanked gram panchayats of the state.
The government will provide around 400 square feet to nationalised banks at gram panchayat buildings to open new branches there, West Bengal Finance minister Amit Mitra said.
He said the state has 706 gram panchayats with no banking services, and 359 villages with over 5,000 population, but without any banks within five kilometres.
According to sources at the state secretariat, the move comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent administrative visits to the districts where representatives of various chambers complained of trouble in getting loans because of non-existence of banks.
The decision to provide infrastructure was taken at the State Level Banker's Committee meeting held at the secretariat where Mitra, senior officials of various nationalised banks, representatives of NABARD and different Chambers were present.
The District Magistrates, who participated in the meeting through video conferences, were asked to prepare a list of villages with a population of over 5,000, but no banking facilities within five kilometres.
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