OSCB deploys more mobile ATMs in Puri

BHUBANESWAR: With banking services getting near normal in all the cyclone-affected districts except Puri, more mobile banking facility has been provided in areas where bank branches could not be operationalised due to lack of electricity. 

The Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB) has deployed 12 mobile ATMs in different District Cooperative Banks of Puri district. These mobile ATMs are functioning at six places in Puri town and other places like Gop, Konark and Nimapara.

Withdrawals amounting to Rs 2.02 crore have been made through these mobile ATMs by people in the worst cyclone-affected district as on Wednesday.  Besides, seven banks have also placed 13 mobile ATMs for withdrawal of cash in different cyclone-affected areas of Puri. Odisha Gramya Bank has pressed four such ATMs into service, UCO Bank has engaged three, ICICI Bank two while Axis Bank, Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank and Bank of India have deployed one each.

As per the latest report, of 222 bank branches in Puri district, 180 are functioning and 75 out of 275 ATMs in Puri town have been made functional. The situation is near normal in Khurda district with 642 out of 657 branches functioning fully. However, only 61.74 per cent of ATMs are operational in the district.

Meanwhile, convening a special meeting of SLBC sub-committee on MSME and Skill Development, Additional Chief Secretary LN Gupta on Wednesday urged all banks operating in the State to take necessary measures to assist MSMEs affected by the extremely severe cyclone Fani. 

He requested banks to reschedule and restructure loans of the affected MSMEs in line with master directions of RBI (on relief measures by banks in areas affected by natural calamities-2018). The banks have been requested to consider relaxing the mandatory minimum period of 90 days for the restructuring of loans and reduce the rate of interest in cyclone-affected districts to address cash flow issues. Bankers have also been asked to expeditiously decide on 5,258 project applications pending with them for finance under PMEGP. 

It was clarified by the State Director, KVIC that margin money assistance target fund of Rs 107 crore is available for the current year. In case a beneficiary has already paid the first loan and is affected by the cyclone, may be extended second loan under PMEGP up to Rs 1 crore, he said.