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Karnataka Vikas Grameena (KVG) Bank, a Dharwad-based regional rural bank having 1.15 lakh women customers, plans to target women and encourage them to undertake profitable ventures.
“Women constitute more than 21 per cent of the total Rs 5,391crore outstanding borrowers. The total business of the bank is Rs 12,078 crore,” C. Sambasiva Reddy, Chairman Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank, told Business Line.
KVG Bank has two exclusive branches run by women — one at Hubli and another at Dharwad.
“Both branches are doing well. Having experience in handling women and their needs, we today are observing Women’s Day by honouring achievers to motivate others,” said Reddy.
The bank, as part of International Women’s Day, held an exclusive Mahila Vikas Grama Sabha to to bring people into the banking fold.
“In the next couple of weeks, our intention is to cover all our women in nine districts where we operate with a bank account, and also to motivate them to undertake profitable ventures with the help of bank schemes especially MSMEs,” he said.
In addition to MSME schemes, bank branches have been told to identify eligible beneficiaries under Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), to finance and extend loans with a thrust on women beneficiaries.
“In addition to women branches, today all our 523 branches have been instructed to observe International Women’s Day by conducting Gramasabha. Branches have been told specifically to give preference to women only and also told to distribute assets instead of sanction letters,” Reddy said.
Solar power
Bank branches have also been instructed to propagate solar lights where ever rural people use kerosene light.
“In most villages, the worst-hit by air pollution (kerosene or fire wood stove) are women,” explained Reddy.
He also said women are capable of competing with their male counterparts in all the fields, and it is the rural women who are becoming victims of superstitions.
“Women should take initiative in construction of toilets in villages and maintain the health and hygiene of the family and surroundings,” he stressed.
anil.u@thehindu.co.in
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