Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: The dire need for cash among rural masses due to the lockdown has been addressed by Bank Sakhis (Friends) in Ambikapur district in north Chhattisgarh.

Across 430 gram panchayats of the district, the women-driven model remains in place to ensure doorstep cash withdrawal through the Bank Sakhis.

A villager visits a Bank Sakhi at a pre-decided spot with Aadhar card number. The Sakhi verifies his/her biometric authentication with the thumb impression taken on a device and the money is delivered. A slip confirming cash withdrawal is issued by the machine citing the completion of the transaction, Saransh Mittar, Ambikapur collector said while explaining the withdrawal procedure.

“During the lockdown period when everything remains closed with no market or business or travelling allowed, these Bank Sakhis are doing a wonderful job by visiting the hamlets and facilitating cash withdrawal. They are just like mobile ATMs. There are about 55 such Sakhis. Each one covers around 7-8 gram panchayats. After formal training, they are engaged as Bank Sakhis for the past 11-odd months and have so far carried out transactions of around Rs 50 crores”, said the collector, adding that the Sakhis are following all COVID-19 precautions as per the guidelines.

One can gauge the remarkable results from the corpus amount of over Rs 2.50 crore generated by the Bank Sakhis since March 25, when the nationwide lockdown began.

The Sakhis get a commission of around 2 percent on the financial transaction they carry out. The women engaged are members of the self-help groups of the same area. Since they are well acquainted with the community members, a trust factor exists with no possibility of any financial irregularity, the collector added.

The Sakhis are disbursing the cash given by the banks to the people they are tied up with. Services related to pensions, social security schemes, MNREGA, Jan-Dhan Yojana, cash withdrawal, and balance inquiry are handled by the Sakhis who earn between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 every month.

These Bank Sakhis might equally deserve the tag of being the corona warriors for working as frontline workers like those in the health, police, or sanitation departments who are rendering exceptional services in the villages for the needy.