Mangaluru : A.B. Ibrahim Dakshina Kannada district, chairman of the district-level implementation committee for PMJDY said that, the cradle of Indian Banking industry, is awaiting formal declaration from the state and central governments as the one fully covered with bank accounts for all households under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).

Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim said, as many as 4,39,733 households out of 4.4 lakh households in the district (as per the 2011 Census) have come to possess at least one bank account as on November 6, The district administration would be sending a formal proposal to the State Level Bankers’ Committee on Friday seeking declaration of PMJDY-compliant district after having fulfilled the set norms.

Asked whether Dakshina Kannada would be the first district in the country to get the PMJDY-compliant tag, Mr. Ibrahim said so far no district has got the tag. Being the cradle of banking industry with four nationalised banks and one private bank, the district deserves to get the tag after fulfilling the mandate much earlier than the targeted date of January 26, 2015. Every effort has been made to accomplish the mission, he said.

Chief Manager of district Lead Bank, Syndicate Bank, Amarnath Hegde, said the implementation committee has followed the norms set by SLBC—giving due publicity in the media of having almost completed the target; publishing the same in government offices and completing the survey to identify households with no bank accounts, thereby being satisfied with the coverage.

As many as 1.64 lakh new accounts have been opened after the launch of PMJDY scheme on August 28 with the participation of 25 banks, nationalised as well as private, in the district, Mr. Hegde said. Banks had commenced the preparation ahead of the official launch, immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scheme on August 15. If any household is left out of the campaign, the members may approach the nearest bank branch to get the account opened, he said.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Thulasi Maddineni and other officers were present.