Logo

Logo

Centre moots cashless society for Odisha

The Centre on Saturday asked the public sector banks including SBI to push for a cashless society and popularise use…

Centre moots cashless society for Odisha

Dharmendra Pradhan (Photo: Facebook)

The Centre on Saturday asked the public sector banks including SBI
to push for a cashless society and popularise use of debit cards in Odisha by
taking assistance of Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) and Common Service Centres (CSCs).

The direction in this regard was issued by Union Minister of
State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan who took stock of the
situation in the wake of demonetisation.

“Use of e-wallet should be made popular in unorganised
sectors also,” Pradhan told the meeting attended by representatives of
different banks, Nalco, Paradip Port Trust, MCL and other central government
organisations.

Advertisement

The focus in the meeting was on how SBI can take lead role
in Odisha to set up a cashless society and widen scope of using plastic money,
Pradhan told reporters.

He said banks should develop a user friendly e-wallet in
mother tongue like Odiya.

Pradhan pointed out that there were 6,916 common service
centres windows and they existed in most of the gram panchyats.

Pradhan called for utilising the CSC and NYK effectively to
spread the message of digital literacy and financial inclusion in remote areas.

As first step, the Railways and SBI jointly will make a
begining by opening a digital literacy and financial inclusion centre at
Bhubaneswar railway station. The same can be replicated in commercial hub of
Cuttack, he said.

This apart, the digital literacy and financial inclusion
centre should be established in petrol pump, post offices, railway stations,
bus stands, labour contract mandi, port areas to sensitise daily customers, he
said.

Advertisement