A Special District Consultative Committee (DCC) meeting for Zunheboto district was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall, Zunheboto, on August 21. The meeting was convened by the State Bank of India (SBI), Zunheboto Lead Bank Office, under the chairmanship of DC Zunheboto, Dharam Raj, IAS. Lead District Manager and DCC Convener, JM Soren also participated in the meeting.

The meeting reviewed various banking, credit and financial inclusion-related matters in the district, with emphasis on strengthening banking services and improving access to financial facilities for the people.

Key issues discussed included the status of bank branches, ATMs, Business Correspondents or Customer Service Points (BC/CSPs), and the Credit-Deposit (CD) ratio. The committee also reviewed the implementation of Government Sponsored Schemes (GSS) of the Central and Nagaland Governments, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), credit outstanding and Non-Performing Assets (NPAs).

The meeting further deliberated on Social Security Schemes (SSS), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Financial Literacy Camps (FLC), and measures to expand and strengthen the digital payment ecosystem in the district.

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Other matters discussed included currency management and remittances, banking security issues, the schedule of DCC meetings, Potential Linked Credit Plan (PLP), pre-PLP meetings and ATM deployment in areas with inadequate banking facilities.

A major concern highlighted during the meeting was the unbanked blocks in Zunheboto district. It was informed that Satoi and Suruhuto are currently not covered by any bank branch, leaving the two blocks without direct banking facilities. The committee discussed the need to improve banking outreach and explore measures to extend banking services to these areas.

The meeting emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts among banks and concerned government departments to strengthen financial inclusion, expand access to banking facilities and ensure effective implementation of various government sponsored financial schemes across Zunheboto district.