Mukherjee said Jangipur, was chosen as it was both a backward area with the minorities accounting for 67 per cent of its population.
“As per the Rajinder Sachar Committee recommendation, we are trying to increase bank penetration in minority-dominated zones of the country,” the finance minister said, adding: “We chose Jangipur for such a mega event as it fulfilled both the criteria.”
Jangipur is Mukherjee’s Lok Sabha constituency.
State Bank Chairman O P Bhatt, who was also present here, said: “We had introduced banking in 53,000 unbanked villages across the country last year. This year, the target is to introduce banking in 50,000 unbanked areas.”
Bank officials said around 1,000 branches and 10,000 ATMs would be opened in the fiscal year 2009-10, the bulk of them in urban and semi-rural areas.