10 yrs of Jan Dhan Yojana: Varanasi residents thank PM Modi for integration into banking system

Varanasi: As India celebrates the milestones and landmarks achieved under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in the past ten years, the beneficiaries are all praise for the path-breaking scheme and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for integrating them into the banking system.

People of Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of PM Modi, also expressed their gratitude for bringing them into the ambit of the banking system, a facility they dreamt of but always remained devoid of.

The PMJDY, with its motto of 'banking the unbanked' started a decade ago on August 28, 2014, and in the past ten years, it has seen more than 53 crore people opening Jan Dhan bank accounts.

Many women beneficiaries, speaking to IANS, made gushing praise for the Prime Minister.

Usha Devi, a Jan Dhan beneficiary from Varanasi said, "I opened my Jan Dhan account 10 years ago. Before this scheme, I used to save money at home, which was risky due to the fear of theft."

She said, "Opening an account at other banks required a minimum deposit of Rs 5,000. The Jan Dhan scheme has made saving and managing money much easier. I want to thank the Prime Minister for doing such a wonderful job for women. We are benefiting greatly from it."

Kasturi Devi, another beneficiary said, "Since we opened this account, we have been receiving Rs 500 regularly. We also got Rs 1 lakh for building our house through this account."

"This is a great scheme for women as it helps us keep some money in hand. Earlier, we had to borrow money and pay interest, because of which, we could not save. We want to thank the Prime Minister for this scheme," she added.

Sheela Yadav, another Varanasi resident with a Jan Dhan account said, "I opened my Jan Dhan account six years ago. Before this, opening an account was very difficult. Banks used to require a minimum deposit of Rs 2,000, which prevented me from opening an account."

She further said, "Prime Minister Modi introduced the scheme for zero-balance accounts. Now, any money we receive goes straight into our bank accounts, which is very helpful. We have benefited a lot from the government's schemes."

Varanasi Chief Development Officer (CDO) Himanshu Nagpal told IANS, "A lot of good work has been done under this scheme in Varanasi. So far, 1.86 million bank accounts have been opened."

"Nearly every household is now connected to a bank account. Government subsidies and grants are directly transferred to people's bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without intermediaries. We have ensured that all people above the age of 10 years have bank accounts," he added.

He also informed that funds for schemes like 'Kanya Sumangala Yojana' are being directly deposited into the girls' accounts and pensions for the elderly are also transferred through these accounts.

"Varanasi has a population of 4 million, and we have opened over 2 million bank accounts. Since the scheme started, people have deposited Rs 13,040 crore, showing the significant benefits people have received from this scheme," shared CDO Nagpal, giving information on the penetration of the scheme.