Get account holders under Jan Dhan to use RuPay card, FinMin tells banks

To get customers opening accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana to use their RuPay debit cards, the Finance Ministry is believed to have asked banks to take a carrot-and-stick approach.

So, to remain eligible for the ₹1 lakh accident insurance cover that comes with the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA), the cards may have to be used at least once in 45 days.

At a recent meeting, Finance Ministry mandarins told top bankers that mere issuance of cards will not suffice. The cards have to be activated at the earliest and made operational.

Ministry officials said that customers have to be advised to operate the cards at a certain time interval, say, once in 45 days, in order to continue to enjoy the accident insurance cover without any charge to them.

Banks were also advised to have an “SMS” alert system for BSBDA beneficiaries so that they use the RuPay card once in 45 days and remain eligible for the accident insurance cover, said a senior official of the Union Bank of India.

RuPay is the home-grown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to rival global payment processing giants Visa and MasterCard.

It has been conceived to offer a domestic, open-loop, multilateral system which will allow all Indian banks and financial institutions to participate in electronic payments.

This card is accepted at all ATMs (for cash withdrawal) and at most of the PoS machines (for making cashless payment for purchases) in the country.

A ‘Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account’ or ‘no-frills’ account does not have any minimum balance requirement. The services available for such accountholders include deposit and withdrawal of cash at bank branches as well as ATMs; receipt/credit of money through electronic payment channels or by means of deposit/collection of cheques drawn by Central/State Government agencies and departments.

While there is no limit to the number of deposits that can be made in a month, accountholders will be allowed a maximum of four withdrawals in a month, including ATM withdrawals; and comes with the facility of ATM card or ATM-cum-debit card.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which was launched on August 28 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a National Mission for Financial Inclusion.

Financial inclusion is the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low-income groups at affordable cost

The Yojana seeks to ensure access to financial services — namely, banking/savings and deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension — in an affordable manner.

Banks have been set a collective first target of reaching 7.5 crore unbanked families under the PMJDY by January 26, 2015.

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