Bihar: This 33-year-old wants to do his bit for society

Faryal Rumi | TNN | Updated: Apr 21, 2020, 11:10 IST

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PATNA: Amid the Covid-19 lockdown, Pankaj Rajvanshi, who hails from Sirdala block in Nawada district, travels more than 15km daily to ensure delivery of doorstep banking services with the help of Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS). The 33-year-old postman covers nearly 25 houses in 28 villages to avoid overcrowding at banks and ATMs.
“I am helping people with Aadhaar-linked bank accounts carry out basic services like balance enquiry, fund transfer, cash withdrawal and deposit. This is a completely safe process as AePS transactions require the fingerprints of the account holders,” Pankaj told this newspaper over the phone.
While at work, the tricenarian follows social distancing norms, uses a hand sanitizer and wears a mask. He also sanitizes his biometric micro ATM every time someone else uses it for withdrawing money.
Although his 31-year-old wife, Sarita Devi, asks Pankaj not to go out because of the pandemic, he leaves his house at 6 in the morning and returns home at 5pm every day. He simply wants to “do my bit for the society and help the needy”.
“My wife and mother ask me to stay at home, but how can I do so? I make sure that I reach distant rural places and help people deposit or withdraw money easily. I also distribute medicines and food grains among the needy, especially the senior citizens, who cannot go out,” the postman said.