Gangtok, Oct 28 The State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) of Sikkim on Wednesday launched a financial inclusion campaign aimed at connecting residents across the state with banking, pension and insurance services, with the drive set to cover all 197 gram panchayat units (GPUs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) by December 31.
The campaign, launched at Chintan Bhawan in Gangtok as part of a nationwide initiative under the Centre’s directives, aims to expand access to basic financial services and government-backed social security schemes, the State Bank of India (SBI) said in a press statement.
Sikkim Health and Family Welfare and Culture Minister G T Dhungel, who attended the launch as the chief guest, urged people to enrol in government schemes to secure their financial future. He described the programme as informative and stressed the importance of making use of the available benefits, the statement said.
The launch programme brought together representatives of the state government, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and SBI to sensitise people about financial security, safe banking and fraud prevention.
DIG (CID) Tenzing Loden Lepcha cautioned people against digital and online fraud, highlighting measures to prevent cybercrime, according to the statement.
Assistant General Manager of SLBC Gopal Lama explained the benefits and enrolment procedures for social security schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
SBI Chief Manager Phurba Sherpa stressed the need to link Aadhaar with bank accounts, keep Know Your Customer (KYC) details updated and check for unclaimed money and financial assets.
NABARD General Manager Manohar Lall outlined the credit and crop insurance facilities available to farmers through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), respectively, the statement said.
RBI Deputy General Manager Sudhir Kanekar highlighted the importance of timely re-KYC and Central KYC (C-KYC) updates. He also briefed participants on official mechanisms for lodging financial fraud-related complaints.
SBI Deputy General Manager Prashant Kumar Singh was among the dignitaries present at the launch.
The campaign will continue until December 31, with financial inclusion camps planned across all 197 GPUs and ULBs in Sikkim, the SLBC assistant general manager said.
(PTI News)
