Balrampur (Chhattisgarh):At a time when financial services across India have been adversely impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic, 'bank sakhis' of a little-known Chhattisgarh district are making sure that villagers get their due payments.
Bank Sakhis, or women banking facilitators, came into being in Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh a year ago, under an initiative undertaken by the district collector.
Though Balrampur, on the Jharkhand border, is majorly a tribal district, the bank sakhis have ensured that economic activity stays alive in the region, even though it has largely been cut-off from the rest of the country due to the lockdown.
The bank sakhis go door to door, and deliver MNREGA payments, various pensions, and even gas subsidies to the villagers. As a result, the villagers do not have to take the trouble to travel to the bank. Further, there is no crowding at the branch, which is proving to be extremely beneficial during the pandemic.
"We go village to village every day and deliver various payments to the villagers. During such a time, it is tough for them to travel to the bank, so we visit them instead," said Ranjita Mandal, a bank sakhi.