KANNUR, September 21, 2013
A CORRESPONDENT
Aadhaar-bank account linking completed only for 15% of 4.9 lakh LPG consumers
District Collector Rathan Kelkar has said that banks should pay attention to completing Aadhaar number seeding for various purposes, including availing of subsidies while purchasing cooking gas cylinders, at the earliest.
Mr. Kelkar, who is chairman of the Banking Review Committee, was inaugurating a review meeting here on Friday.
Direct transfer
The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for providing subsidy for cooking gas through the bank accounts of beneficiaries was launched in the district on September 1.
The district had about 4.9 lakh cooking gas consumers, of which the Aadhaar seeding of a mere 15 per cent accounts had been completed, he said
He said many decisions taken at the meetings involving bank directors and oil company representatives had not been keenly followed by some branches of the banks. Strict instructions regarding this should be passed on to bank officials.
Oil companies should also view the matter with sincerity, Mr. Kelkar said.
Several complaints
He said the district administration had received a number of complaints with respect to the Aadhaar seeding.
The stance taken by the oil companies was also not positive, and this needed to change.
Timely disbursement of benefits through the DBT scheme could be made possible only through a concerted effort, he said.
Education loan
He directed the banks to adopt a liberal attitude to providing education loans. Applicants should not be put through difficulties and be given proper explanations and loan facilities without delay, he said.