Banks offered rent to open new branches in ‘unbanked blocks,’ maintains CM
Our Correspondent
Kohima | February 27
The state government has been pursuing actively for opening of bank branches in all the unbanked blocks, numbering 30 out of total 74, as on date, the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio told the State Assembly.
For this purpose, the government has written to almost all the chairpersons and Managing Directors of the Public Sector as well as Private Sector Banks, including to the Union Secretary of Financial Services of the Government of India, he added.
Taking part in the General Discussion of 2019-20 Budget on February 26, Rio claimed that the state government had even “offered to pay the rent for new bank branches being opened in the unbanked blocks for a period of 5 years.”
The initiative seems to have few takers as he later informed the house that: “We still have 30 RD Blocks that do not have banking coverage.”
Meanwhile, there are 2, 37,954 household under Rural Development blocks in 74 Rural Development blocks in Nagaland, he informed the Assembly.
The number increased from 52 in 2012 to 74 in “to facilitate better administration and implementation of various schemes under the RD Department,” he maintained.
In a written reply to MLA Y Vikheho Swu, Rio informed the households comprised of: Kohima district- 25, 108, Mokokchung- 24, 947, Mon- 28, 711, Tuensang- 23, 483, Zunheboto- 19, 214, Wokha- 16m 712, Phek- 21, 671, Dimapur- 34, 489, Kiphire- 14, 834, Longleng- 14, 314 and Peren- 14, 471.
On C.L. John expressing concerns over the diminishing allocations under DUDA, Rio said the budget allocation during 2018-19 was Rs. 21 crore and the allocation for the current year is Rs. 23 crore, an increase of 9.5% over the previous year.
He also clarified that during 2018-19 the Central Government had so far released an amount of Rs. 33.96 crore under BADP.
“The total receipts during 2017-18 were Rs. 32.15 crore. We are estimating that receipts under this program during 2019-20 will be about Rs. 42 crore,” Rio informed.
On MLA Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu who raised issues about the reduced receipts under MGNREGA, including NLCPR, NEC and EAP, Rio clarified that the receipts under MGNREGA had been adversely affected due to problems relating to opening of bank accounts in order to facilitate Direct Benefits Transfer in which funds would be transferred directly to the accounts of the job card holders.
He said the department is experiencing difficulties in opening bank accounts of the job card holders mainly because “we still have 30 RD Blocks that do not have banking coverage.”
Regarding receipts under NEC, NLCPR and EAP, he clarified that that the anticipated receipts for 2019-20 are Rs. 200 crore, Rs. 140 crore and Rs. 200 crore respectively.
Rio also stated that there are 4, 32, 179 job card holders in Nagaland.
The per district wise distribution of job card holders are as follows: - Dimapur- 73, 798, Kiphire- 23, 684, Kohima- 54,040, Longleng- 21, 439, Mokokchung- 35, 653, Mon 39, 911, Peren- 27, 099, Phek- 34, 152, Tuensang- 48, 455, Wokha- 36, 163 and Zunheboto- 37, 785.
