2lakh Bank Accounts in 72hrs

Visakhapatnam: In the wake of currency ban and its cascading effects, Visakhapatnam's DWMA (District Water Management Agency) has set a massive target of opening 2lakh bank accounts in just 72 hours. After demonetisation decision government has resolved to make all the payments of MGNREGS through bank accounts only. But as on November 25, 1.97 lakh MGNREG beneficiaries do not possess bank accounts. Dist Collector has instructed the officials to pay all the MGNREGS wages from December 1 through bank accounts only. Continuing this DWMA officials have also instructed to open bank accounts of all the 1.97 lakh beneficiaries of MGNREG in the next 72 hours. In order to ensure government directive to shift the public towards the cashless transactions, banks have already started recruiting business correspondents in the remote areas where access to banking facility is not available. Business correspondents trying to bring awareness among the tribal people by visiting various tribal hamlets. Officials are engaged in making all arrangements to start dedicated and exclusive bank melas in the 11 Agency mandals of the district. However baking personnel have a different opinion, "It is not viable to open branches in the Agency areas. Net connectivity, Staff, Security, buildings, etc. issues are not yet resolved. Whether it is `100 or `1 lakh transaction, the established procedure to be followed is one and the same. Already, almost all nationalized banks have been facing huge losses due to the heavy dues from the existing priority sector lending".