Lok Sabha Question No. 3882 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-16
Subject: New Branches of Nationalised Banks in Beed
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri Bajrang Manohar Sonwane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3882

ANSWERED ON Monday, March 16, 2026/Phalguna 25, 1947 (Saka)

## New Branches of Nationalised Banks in Beed

## † 3882. SHRI BAJRANG MANOHAR SONWANE:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that banking services are not adequate in the rural and  remote  areas  of  the  districts  falling  under  Beed  Lok  Sabha  Parliamentary Constituency in Maharashtra;
- (b) if so, whether the Government has any policy for setting up any new nationalized bank branches in the districts falling under the said constituency and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the  number  of  nationalized  bank  branches  currently  running  in  the  Beed  district, tehsilwise; and
- (d) the specific steps being taken by the Government to strengthen financial inclusion and provide easy banking access to farmers, self-help groups and small businessmen in rural areas of the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a to c) To ensure accessibility of banking services in rural and remote areas, the endeavour of the Government is to provide a banking outlet (Bank branch / Business Correspondent / India Post Payments Bank) within 5 kilometres of all inhabited villages in the country. Availability of banking outlets is monitored by a Geographic Information System (GIS) based Application, namely, Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) App.

Based on the data uploaded by Banks on the JDD App, all the inhabited villages in Beed District are  covered  by  a  Bank  branch/  BC/  IPPB  within  a  radius  of  05  kms.  Details  of  Banking infrastructure in Beed, Maharashtra, as on 31.01.2026, is as under:

| District/ State   | Branches   | BC       | ATM    | IPPB   |
|-------------------|------------|----------|--------|--------|
| Beed              | 234        | 5,482    | 215    | 353    |
| Maharashtra       | 18,331     | 1,51,421 | 21,834 | 13,761 |

Source: JDD App

In pursuance of the extant Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines-

- RBI has permitted Commercial Banks, Small Finance Banks, Payments Banks, Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks to open bank branches anywhere in India without prior approval, provided 25% are in unbanked rural areas;
- Rolling out of banking outlets in uncovered areas is a continuous process looked after by the State Level Bankers'  Committees  (SLBCs)  /  Union  Territory  Level  Bankers Committees (UTLBCs), in consultation with the concerned State/UT Government, member Banks and other stakeholders.

Moreover,  Banks,  inter-alia,  consider  proposals  for  opening  banking  outlets  in  the  light  of RBI's instructions, their business plans and their commercial viability. To further assess the viability for opening a banking outlet, banks carry out survey as required.

(d)  Various  steps  are  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  strengthen  Financial  Inclusion Schemes. Some of which are as under:

- Special  campaigns  have  been  launched  across  the  country.  These  campaigns  aim  at enrolling  individuals  under  Financial  Inclusion  Schemes  and  thereby  enhance  further penetration of these Schemes;
- The Centre for Financial Literacy (CFL) Project has been initiated by the Reserve Bank since  2017  with  an  objective  to  adopt  community-led  innovative  and  participatory approaches to financial literacy. As on 31 Jan, 2026, a total of 2,421 CFLs have been set up across the country with one CFL covering three blocks on an average;
- Banks have been conducting regular awareness camps at the grassroots level to promote these  Schemes.  Additionally,  a  review  mechanism  is  in  place  to  regularly  monitor  the implementation and effectiveness of these schemes with Banks and other stakeholders.
- Banks through its Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) organize various skill development programs including vocational training and entrepreneurship development  initiatives.  Banks  also  conduct  credit  outreach  camps  etc.  for  creating awareness about various Schemes.

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