Expressing displeasure over poor enrolment of beneficiaries by banks to government welfare schemes, including, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyothi Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari said if the same situation continues then the government will be forced to stop banking with banks that do not support government welfare schemes.

Chairing the District Consultative Committee and District-Level Review Committee meeting of bankers at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium here on Friday, Mr. Karbhari said the number of PMJDY accounts and enrolment to PMJJBY and PMSBY in Dakshina Kannada in the first quarter of this financial year was far less than the potential of the district.

Asking officials from the Bank of Baroda to step up efforts to stem the continued poor performance, the ZP CEO instructed Union Bank of India and Axis Bank representatives to consider using the services of their cluster support executives and relationship officers to contact customers and improve enrolment.

Stating that the numbers of PMJJBY enrolments reflected poorly on Karnataka Bank that has good presence in Dakshina Kannada, Mr. Karbhari said, "Unless you improve, I am sorry to say, we will be forced not to bank with you."

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari (third from left) chaired the meeting of District Consultative Committee and District Level Review Committee of bankers at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium in Mangaluru on Friday, September 19. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath

The official asked banks to hold camps on their own. Panchayat Development Officers will be told to cooperate with banks in the enrolment of beneficiaries. The banks can take the help of Mangaluru City Corporation and other urban local bodies to hold camps in the urban areas. Each camp should enable enrolment of 200 beneficiaries, he said.

The CEO asked the banks to release loans to beneficiaries of the government housing scheme, enabling them to meet their share of the building cost. The Central and State governments have been giving their share to the beneficiary.

Business

In a report submitted during the meeting, the total business of banks in Dakshina Kannada district as of June 30 was put at ₹1.33 lakh crore, with a year-over-year growth of 8.52%. Deposits stood at ₹77,342.59 crore, while advances was at ₹55,768 .52 crore.

The total disbursement for priority and non-priority sectors as of June 2025 was ₹14,910.39 crore. The disbursement to the agriculture sector, MSME, education, and housing sectors during the period were ₹2,843.13 crore, ₹3,686.72 crore, ₹22 crore, and ₹74.22 crore, respectively.

Between April 1 and June 30, banks have disbursed ₹223.24 crore in loans under the MUDRA scheme. As many as 8,075 savings bank accounts under PMJDY were opened. While 14,575 accounts were enrolled for PMJJBY, 31,633 accounts were enrolled for PMSBY, and 7,025 accounts were under APY schemes in the period.

Canara Bank Deputy General Manager Latha P. Kurup, RBI Assistant General Manager P. Arun Kumar, NABARD District Development Manager Sangeetha S. Kartha, and District Lead Bank Manager Kavitha N. Shetty participated in the meeting.

'Won't do banking with banks that don't promote welfare schemes'