RBI organises outreach programmes in northeast villages

AIZAWL - In an effort to touch base with people in far-flung areas, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is organising financial outreach programmes in remote villages of the country’s northeast as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations.

The seventh such camp by the central bank was held in Mizoram’s Seling village, 55 km from here Saturday.

During the programme, senior bank officials interacted with daily wage earners, small and marginal farmers, village women, students, self-help groups, senior citizens, housewives and other target groups to familiarise them with various banking facilities as also with the security features of currency notes.

“We also exchanged soiled and mutilated currency notes, and exchanged currency notes for coins besides looking into their complaints with regard to banking facilities,” RBI spokesperson Purabi Borah said.

Nationalised as well as regional rural banks, NABARD and private banks participated in the camps by setting up mobile counters.

The banks also accepted applications for ‘No Frills Accounts’.

“NABARD, through some select NGOs, informed the villagers about their activities as also about formation of fresh Self-Help Groups (SHGs),” Borah said adding that the Reserve Bank, through this experiment, would develop a workable module for a fully financially-inclusive model village.

People were also informed about installation of note detection machines to identify fake currency.