Dakshina Kannada is planning to cover all the 4.40 lakh families in the district with bank accounts by October 20 under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY).

This view was expressed at the district-level review committee meeting of bankers in Dakshina Kannada on Friday.

Amarnath Hegde, Chief Manager of Lead District Bank (Syndicate Bank in the district), said that out of the 4.40 lakh households in the district as per the 2011 census, 4.20 lakh households are covered with bank accounts up to October 7. Banks in the district opened 1.45 lakh accounts from August 16 to October 7, he said.

Prasad Rao, Assistant General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the household surveys are in progress in the district, and the banks have decided to complete the survey by October 14.

Stating that the implementation of PMJDY is a time-bound programme, Thulasi Maddineni, Chief Executive Officer of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, said the intention is to bring 100 per cent households under the banking network by October 20. The bankers and the administration are confident of achieving this target by October 20, she said.

Hegde said that banks have been conducting account opening camps in the villages and urban wards allotted to them on last Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.