Everyone in Gujarat should have bank account: Amit Shah

AHMEDABAD: BJP president Amit Shah called on the co-operative sector banks in the state to join the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna and take up a movement to ensure that everyone in the state has a bank account. Shah was in the city on Tuesday to inaugurate RuPay ATM and debit card and first ATM centre of Gujarat State Co-Operative Bank (GSC) at its head office in Naranpura.
“The motto of co-operative movement is to make people self-reliant.I would like to urge GSC and other co-operative banks to join this movement and ensure that every poor, Dalit and tribal in the state has a bank account,” said Shah. The GSC Bank is the apex bank of 18 district co-operative banks having more than 1,300 branches across the state.
“When the idea of Jan Dhan Yojna was floated by PM, I learnt from our finance minister that 50% of families in India never had any bank account. I congratulate our PM for introducing such scheme for the benefit of poorest of poor. Within the last three months, more than 5 crore bank accounts have been opened under this scheme,” said Shah.
Taking a dig at nationalized banks, Shah said that corporate and foreign banks have been aggressively using credit cards in comparison to nationalized banks which have not been able to market themselves well. According to Shah, Modi brought the national banking sector back on its track of providing service, not just earning profit.
“In the next five years, debit cards issued by co-operative banks will be the highest in India,” added Shah, who has been chairman of Ahmedabad District Co-Op Bank Ltd in the past. Shah further said that the co-operative movement’s relevance will increase manifold in the coming years.
Ajay Patel, chairman of GSC bank, said, “Along with RuPay card facility, internet banking, sms banking and IMPS services have also been launched by GSC and its affiliated banks will be added in one month’s time with these services.”
There are 18 district co-operative and 243 urban co-operative banks in the state with over 1.5 crore customers and deposits of more than Rs 70,000 crore.