Soon, more than 50 million citizens aged 70 and above, as well as a large number of specially abled people, may get basic banking services in the convenience of their homes, HT’s sister website Mint said in a report.
The proposal
According to the report, the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) has proposed a new guide for bankers. This guide, the report said, will make it mandatory for certain bank branches to provide doorstep services to senior citizens and specially abled population.
Read More: EMIs to go up as Canara Bank hikes lending rates by 15 bps
Mint further stated that the scheme will offer services such as opening of accounts, fixed deposits, pension services, insurance, investment and loans. The draft of the guide has been finalised by the Indian Banks Association (IBA) in consultation with DFS and, before being notified, will be presented to the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD).
In June, DFS convened a meeting with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Oriental Insurance, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), and the IBA to discuss the scheme.
Read More: After losing millions of users, Facebook reportedly plans to fire 12,000 employees
Doorstep banking services in India
These have already been mandated by the RBI, which gave two separate deadlines for implementation: December 31, 2017, and April 30, 2020. However, the pan-India application continued to be weak and patchy.
