58K women banking correspondents to begin training in UP

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath has asked the rural development and panchayati raj departments to go ahead with the training of 58,000 women banking correspondent (BC) Sakhis before they begin their job.

The state government has completed the first-of-its-kind technology driven process for selecting 58,000 women for as many posts of banking correspondent Sakhis. A total of 58,000 gram panchayats in the state will have a BC Sakhi each.

"Once the BC Sakhis begin working, it will help a lot of the villagers in their banking related needs. BC Sakhis will function from their village's panchayat bhavan," the chief minister said in a statement.

Additional chief secretary, rural development and panchayati raj department, Manoj Kumar Singh, said that the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF)a% will now train these BC Sakhis before they begin working.

The state government had received 2.17 lakh applications for the induction of 58,000 BC Sakhis.

The mobile app-based recruitment process was undertaken amid the Covid-19 pandemic in a state-wide exercise.

The department of rural development began the selection process in June. In the last three weeks, it interviewed the shortlisted applicants via their smart phones through the BC Sakhi mobile app.

"BC Sakhis, using technology, will take banking to the doorsteps of families in their respective villages," said additional chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh.

"BC Sakhis would become a one-stop solution for all banking services at the doorstep of the poor. The government envisages channelling government services (subsidies, entitlements, pensions etc) and direct benefit transfer (DBT) payouts through these BC  Sakhis in the villages, besides taking up a range of banking operations and encouraging villagers for digital transactions," said Singh.

The UP government had launched a mobile app for the entire recruitment process a" from application to interviews and final selection.

A BC Sakhi would get Rs 4,000 per month as honorarium and a one-time Rs 75,000 easy instalment loan for tech hardware and installation.