The proposed payments bank of Department of Posts is likely
to provide DBT facility of various ministries, Parliament was informed on
16.03.2016.
"The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is likely to provide
"Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of social security payments of various
ministries," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informed informed Lok
Sabha in a written reply.
The DBT schemes are presently handled through banks.
The postal department has been managing distribution of wages under MGNREGA
scheme. Under the DBT scheme, the government directly transfers subsidies into
the bank accounts of the people eligible for benefit. Subsidies, including LPG,
of around 35-40 government schemes are covered under it.
As per official data,
till December 27 around Rs 40,000 crore was directly reaching the beneficiaries
through various schemes. The postal department has also received 'In-Principle'
approval from the Reserve Bank of India on September 7, 2015 for setting up of
the payments bank within 18 months.
The Department has received clearance for
funds from the Public Investment Board (PIB) for the payment banks. "The
DoP is seeking approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for
setting up of the IPPB," Prasad said. The IPPB is also likely to
facilitate payments of central and state governments as well as municipal dues
and fees of various universities and educational institutions.
List of other
probable service includes "person to person remittances both domestic and
cross border." "Special focus will be on providing economical, safe
and convenient money transfer facilities to migrant labourers, NRIs remitting
money to relatives, institutions etc," Prasad said.
The IPPB may
distribute third party financial products such as insurance, mutual funds and
pension products, give access to formal credit products by acting as banking
correspondents of banks and facilitate utility bill payments for electricity,
water, telephone, gas etc, the minister added.
On financial services being
provided by the Department, the minister said that 652 ATMs have been installed
at major post offices and 1,33,486 ATM or Debit cards have been issued to Post
Office Savings Bank customers.
//copy//
