Canara Bank Organises Financial Inclusion Camp at Purba Barjala Gram Panchayat under Nationwide Awareness Drive

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, September 3, 2025

Canara Bank, Jirania Branch, organised a Financial Inclusion Camp today at Purba Barjala Gram Panchayat as part of the Nationwide Financial Awareness Saturation Campaign (July 1 – September 30, 2025) led by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance. The outreach programme aimed at spreading awareness on Social Security Schemes, Re-KYC, and Financial Inclusion among villagers, ensuring last-mile connectivity in banking services.

The campaign seeks to cover all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country, enabling every eligible citizen to access transformative social security and banking schemes.

The event was attended by Minister Sri Sushanta Chowdhury, who graced the programme as Chief Guest. Other dignitaries included Sri Apurva Roy, IAS, Secretary Finance; Smt Rakhi Biswas, IAS, Addl. Secretary & Director, Institutional Finance; Sri Surendra Nidar, GM (Officer-in-charge), RBI Agartala; Sri Anil S Kotmire, GM (Officer-in-charge), NABARD Agartala; Sri Lok Nath, GM, CO Guwahati, Canara Bank; Sri Abhay Kumar Malviya, GM, HO, Canara Bank; Sri Santanu Saha, AGM, CO Guwahati, Canara Bank; and Sri Santanu Kundu, AGM, RO Silchar, Canara Bank. Representatives of the local administration, including Sri Tushar Alam, BDO Jirania, were also present.

The camp began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and a floral tribute to the founder of Canara Bank.

Delivering the keynote address, Sri Lok Nath, GM CO Guwahati, underlined Canara Bank’s mission of achieving last-mile connectivity in financial services. He urged villagers to enroll in flagship schemes like PMJJBY, PMSBY, and APY, while also stressing the importance of digital banking for transparency and convenience.

Chief Guest Sri Sushanta Chowdhury praised the initiative, calling it a crucial step towards inclusive growth. He appealed to villagers to take full advantage of government-backed social security schemes and complete their Re-KYC formalities promptly.

Sri Apurva Roy, IAS, highlighted financial literacy as the foundation for rural economic development, while Smt Rakhi Biswas, IAS, stressed the role of institutional finance in empowering farmers, women, and weaker sections.

Sri Surendra Nidar, GM RBI, emphasised safe digital transactions and reducing dependence on informal lenders, whereas Sri Anil S Kotmire, GM NABARD, explained NABARD’s contribution to strengthening rural credit and cooperative structures.

Sri Abhay Kumar Malviya, GM HO, assured villagers of Canara Bank’s full support for KYC updates and enrollment in government schemes. Sri Santanu Kundu, AGM RO Silchar, further explained the simplified Re-KYC process, ensuring no account is left inactive.

The camp saw enthusiastic participation from villagers, with several citizens completing on-the-spot enrollments in social security schemes and updating their Re-KYC details. Demonstrations on digital banking services were also conducted, instilling confidence among villagers to adopt formal financial practices.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks, reaffirming Canara Bank’s commitment to inclusive banking and rural prosperity.

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