Lok Sabha Question No. 268 (STARRED), answered on 2015-08-07
Subject: Bank Mitra
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: SULTAN  AHMED

**6** **th** **POSITION**

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

**LOK SABHA**

**STARRED QUESTION No. * 268**

TO BE ANSWERED ON  7 TH AUGUST, 2015  (FRIDAY)/SHRAVANA  16, 1937 (SAKA)

**Bank Mitra**

Question

* 268.  SHRI  SULTAN  AHMED:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

1. whether  the  Government/banks  have  formulated  any  policy  to  engage  Bank  Mitra  (Business  Correspondent  Agents)  services to  promote  the Pradhan  Mantri Jan Dhan  Yojana  (PMJDY);

1. if  so,  the  details  and  criteria  adopted  by  banks  for  appointment  of  Bank  Mitra;

1. the  number  of  Bank  Mitra  appointed/presently working as  on date, bank and State/UT-wise; and

1. whether  there  is  a  shortfall  in  availability  of  Bank  Mitras  to promote  PMJDY and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  in  this  regard?

**Answer**

**THE   FINANCE  MINISTER**

**(SHRI  ARUN  JAITLEY)**

(a) to (d)  A  Statement  is  laid  on  the  Table  of  the  House.

***********

**Statement referred  to  in  reply  to  parts (a) to (d)  of  Lok  Sabha  Starred Question  No. * 268 (6** **th** **Position)  for  7** **th** **August, 2015  by  Shri  Sultan  Ahmed  regarding  “Bank  Mitra”.**

(a) and (b)  Reserve  Bank  of  India  (RBI)   has  specified  that  the  Scheduled  Commercial  Banks including Regional  Rural  Banks (RRBs)  and  Local Area  Banks (LABs) may  engage  Business  Correspondents (BCs),  subject  to  compliance  with  the  RBI guidelines.   Banks  may  formulate  a  policy   for  engaging  Business  Correspondents with the  approval of  their  Board of     Directors.   As  per  RBI  guidelines, due  diligence  is to  be  carried  out on  the  individuals / entities  to be engaged  as  BCs  prior  to  their  engagement.   It  has  been  specified  that  the  due  diligence  exercise, may  inter-alia cover  aspects  such as  (i) reputation /market standing, (ii) financial  soundness, (iii) management and corporate governance, (iv) cash handling  ability  and             (v) ability  to  implement technology solutions  in rendering financial  services.   The  RBI  guidelines, inter-alia,  also describe  the  eligible  individuals/entities which  can  function  as  BCs,  the procedure for  engaging  BCs,  the scope of  activities  that  BCs  can  undertake  etc.    These guidelines are available at https:// [www.rbi.org.in](http://www.rbi.org.in/) .

(c ) and (d)   Under  Pradhan   Mantri  Jan-Dhan  Yojana  (PMJDY),   all  rural   areas  in  the  country  have  been mapped  into  1,59,918  Sub Service Areas (SSAs).   Of   these,  32,929  SSAs  have  been  covered by  Bank  branches  and  1,25,989  SSAs   have  been  covered  by  BCs.   1000  SSAs  are  yet  to  be  covered  primarily  due  to  telecom connectivity  issues.   (State/UT-wise  and Bank-wise position  of  Bank  Mitras  are  given  in  Annexure  1  and  Annexure – 2  respectively).   The  Government  is  making  all  efforts to   cover these 1000  SSAs  also.

******

| **ANNEXURE - 1**                                                                                                   |                                                         |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| **Lok Sabha * Starred Question No. 268 for 07.08.2015 raised  by Shri  Sultan  Ahmed, MP, regarding "Bank Mitra"** |                                                         |
| **POSITION OF  BANK  MITRAS (State/UT-wise)  AS ON  24.07.2015**                                                   |                                                         |
| **StateName**                                                                                                      | **Total No.  of   Fixed location Bank Mitra  deployed** |
|                                                                                                                    |                                                         |
| ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS                                                                                          | 28                                                      |
| ANDHRA PRADESH                                                                                                     | 6600                                                    |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH                                                                                                  | 68                                                      |
| ASSAM                                                                                                              | 3598                                                    |
| BIHAR                                                                                                              | 10570                                                   |
| CHANDIGARH                                                                                                         | 6                                                       |
| CHHATTISGARH                                                                                                       | 2257                                                    |
| DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI                                                                                               | 27                                                      |
| DAMAN & DIU                                                                                                        | 5                                                       |
| GOA                                                                                                                | 110                                                     |
| GUJARAT                                                                                                            | 6067                                                    |
| HARYANA                                                                                                            | 2109                                                    |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH                                                                                                   | 1464                                                    |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR                                                                                                    | 885                                                     |
| JHARKHAND                                                                                                          | 3309                                                    |
| KARNATAKA                                                                                                          | 5332                                                    |
| KERALA                                                                                                             | 1473                                                    |
| LAKSHADWEEP                                                                                                        | 1                                                       |
| MADHYA PRADESH                                                                                                     | 10481                                                   |
| MAHARASHTRA                                                                                                        | 11892                                                   |
| MANIPUR                                                                                                            | 279                                                     |
| MEGHALAYA                                                                                                          | 216                                                     |
| MIZORAM                                                                                                            | 50                                                      |
| NAGALAND                                                                                                           | 131                                                     |
| NCT OF DELHI                                                                                                       | 3                                                       |
| ORISSA                                                                                                             | 5066                                                    |
| PUDUCHERRY                                                                                                         | 51                                                      |
| PUNJAB                                                                                                             | 2485                                                    |
| RAJASTHAN                                                                                                          | 7774                                                    |
| SIKKIM                                                                                                             | 95                                                      |
| TAMIL NADU                                                                                                         | 8860                                                    |
| TELANGANA                                                                                                          | 4038                                                    |
| TRIPURA                                                                                                            | 337                                                     |
| UTTAR PRADESH                                                                                                      | 20679                                                   |
| UTTARAKHAND                                                                                                        | 1442                                                    |
| WEST BENGAL                                                                                                        | 8201                                                    |
| **Total**                                                                                                          | **125989**                                              |
| Source: Banks                                                                                                      |                                                         |

| **ANNEXURE - 2**                                                                                                |                                                      |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| **Lok Sabha * Starred Question No. 268 for 07.08.2015 raised by Shri Sultan Ahmed, MP regarding "Bank  Mitra"** |                                                      |
| **Position  of    Bank  Mitra  (Bank-wise)   as  on   24.07.2015**                                              |                                                      |
| **NAME OF BANK:**                                                                                               | **Total  No. of Fixed location Bank Mitra deployed** |
| Allahabad Bank                                                                                                  | 5528                                                 |
| Andhra Bank                                                                                                     | 2005                                                 |
| Axis Bank                                                                                                       | 204                                                  |
| Bank of Baroda                                                                                                  | 8363                                                 |
| Bank Of India                                                                                                   | 9041                                                 |
| Bank of Maharashtra                                                                                             | 3872                                                 |
| BhartiyaMahila Bank                                                                                             | 0                                                    |
| Canara Bank                                                                                                     | 3499                                                 |
| Central bank of India                                                                                           | 11090                                                |
| City Union Bank Ltd                                                                                             | 127                                                  |
| Corporation Bank                                                                                                | 648                                                  |
| Dena Bank                                                                                                       | 1890                                                 |
| Federal Bank                                                                                                    | 169                                                  |
| HDFC Bank                                                                                                       | 406                                                  |
| ICICI                                                                                                           | 1231                                                 |
| IDBI                                                                                                            | 309                                                  |
| Indian bank                                                                                                     | 2917                                                 |
| Indian Overseas Bank                                                                                            | 4072                                                 |
| IndusInd Bank                                                                                                   | 66                                                   |
| Jammu and Kashmir Bank                                                                                          | 687                                                  |
| Karur Vaisya Bank                                                                                               | 117                                                  |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank                                                                                             | 249                                                  |
| Lakshmi Vilas Bank                                                                                              | 126                                                  |
| Oriental Bank of Commerce                                                                                       | 1242                                                 |
| Punjab & Sind Bank                                                                                              | 406                                                  |
| Punjab National Bank                                                                                            | 7826                                                 |
| Ratnakar Bank                                                                                                   | 34                                                   |
| South Indian Bank                                                                                               | 120                                                  |
| State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur                                                                                | 2758                                                 |
| State Bank of Hyderabad                                                                                         | 1753                                                 |
| State Bank of India                                                                                             | 30133                                                |
| State Bank of Mysore                                                                                            | 1001                                                 |
| State Bank of Patiala                                                                                           | 791                                                  |
| State Bank of Travancore                                                                                        | 332                                                  |
| Syndicate Bank                                                                                                  | 4686                                                 |
| Uco Bank                                                                                                        | 5314                                                 |
| Union bank of India                                                                                             | 6742                                                 |
| United Bank of India                                                                                            | 5368                                                 |
| Vijaya Bank                                                                                                     | 862                                                  |
| Yes Bank                                                                                                        | 5                                                    |
| **GRAND TOTAL**                                                                                                 | **125989**                                           |
| Source: Banks                                                                                                   |                                                      |