Jan Dhan Yojana to target credit, pension services

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent an email to all bankers to gear up for the next phase of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana that will focus on credit, insurance and pension services.

Modi has also asked bankers to ensure that all “Jan Dhan” bank accounts are linked to “Aadhaar” or unique identification numbers allotted to people. “We need to redouble efforts on financial literacy. Aadhaar seeding needs to improve further. Bank Mitras need to be enabled to carry out RuPay card and Aadhaar enabled transactions in the villages,” he said.

Modi said: “I want you to work to ensure that each account holder enrols for Aadhaar and seeds it in the bank account. This needs to be done for all accounts. I am sure you will do this seeding with the same zeal you showed in implementing the bank account opening drive.”

Congratulating bankers, he said: “Well begun is half done. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana provides a platform for changing the economic conditions of our people. We need to build on this success and leverage these accounts to provide our citizens a wide range of credit, insurance and pension services. We also need to maintain high standards of customer service. This is the next phase of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.”

The scheme, launched after Modi’s Independence Day address in August last year, has surpassed the target of 10 crore bank accounts by opening 11.5 crore accounts till date.