Nagaland to deploy 500 certified women Business Correspondent Sakhi by 2025

May 19, 2023 36 Views No Comment

Kohima, May 19 (MExN): The Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) and Industrial Development Finance Company (IDFC) First Bank inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for deployment of BC Sakhi-an alternate channel in providing financial services, in rural locations.

The MoU was signed at Kohima on May 5 last, stated a press release issued by Rajuselie Lhousa, SPM-FI, NSRLM.

Imtimenla, Mission Director, said that with the dream of fulfilling Mission One Gram Panchayat One Business Correspondent (MOGPOBC) in the country, the State has a plan to deploy 500 certified women BC Sakhi in the GPs by 2025. The target for FY 2023-24 is 300 SHG members.

The Mission Director disclosed that amongst the SHG members trained and certified, 141 have been deployed as BC-Digipay Sakhi viz. Dimapur (16) Kiphire (9), Kohima (10), Longleng (11), Mokokchung (18), Mon (16), Peren (8), Phek (16), Tuensang (11), Wokha (17) and Zunheboto (9).

Sharing on the status of SRLM Nagaland since launch of programme in the State, she said that 150 women SHG members have been provide training from RSETI and are IIBF certified. The mission shall be covering all the 1268 villages/GPs, 1142 VLOs, 63 CLFs, 13,935 SHGs, 1,19,439 households.

Soumen Bag, Regional Sales Head of IDFC First Bank Limited said the Bank came into being under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertaking) Act, 1970. Its core purpose is for deployment of SHG women as Business Correspondent i.e. BC Sakhi.

It offers monthly interest credit on savings accounts, zero fees on Savings accounts, life-time free credit cards with no minimum spend conditions, offer dynamic and low APR rates, ‘never-expiring’ reward points, and many other such customer-friendly products. The IDFC have high presence in States like Maharashtra, MP, AP, TN, WB, Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, UP Jharkhand etc.

Soumen Bag said the objectives of IDFC First Bank are to improve the quality and effectiveness of the financial services; empower SHG members by functioning as BC and CSP (Customer Service Provider) respectively; establish a sustainable CSP network to offer banking services in un/under-banked villages/blocks; establishing a transparent system for monitoring of the BC Sakhi transactions; creating awareness and Building Capacities of NSRLM field functionaries and BC Sakhi’s on the banking system, BC banking transactional process as to ensure effective development of BC Chanel eco system.

He underlined that the role of NSRLM shall be to refer the qualified leads for on boarding them at IDFC First Bank, help IDFC & relationship manager/coordinator in creating awareness/sensitization on the partnership with all the VO level.

A dedicated team/SPOC will be assigned to help out rollout the project while the IDFC shall coordinate with NSRLM regional and district teams. The Mission shall facilitate bank/CIF loan to the SHG members for purchase of hardware equipment. The Bank shall provide training to the BC Sakhis.

As part of the undergoing national campaign on promoting digital transactions at 50000 GP under AKAM 2.0 from February 1 to August 15, the State Mission and IDFC First Bank will initially deploy 14 members as leads in Dimapur to see progress through the agreement. The Blocks with BC Sakhi candidate are Aghunaqa – 1, Akuluti – 4, Chümoukedima – 3, Dhansirpar -nil, Medziphema – 3 and Niuland – 3.

IDFC was represented by Soumen Bag, Regional Sales Head and Aayush Nahar, State Manager, BC and Alternate Channels (SM, BC-AC) from Kolkota while NSRLM by Imtimenla, Mission Director and Rajuselie Lhousa, State Program Manager-financial inclusion (SPM-FI) respectively. M Rollan Lotha, Chief operating officer (programs) and TM Chowdhury branch manager IDFC Branch Dimapur were also present in the ceremony.