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According to RBI deputy governor Usha Thorat, agents will be engaged by RBI so that the villages can also have access to banking services.
"To act on behalf of the banks and to provide certain banking services among the uncovered people, non-government organizations, self-help groups, cooperatives, financial bodies, retired teachers and government employees and responsible citizens would soon be employed as banking correspondents or agents," Thorat said.
"This new model is expected to be an ideal for many northeastern states, where large parts of remote and rural areas are not covered by the traditional banking networks," she said.
"The customers would be provided bio-metric cards and the banks, agents and customers would come under a single connectivity and remain online."
She added that this is an initiative to make the banking service available at the doorsteps of the villagers. She also mentioned that this will make the transactions related to the payment of wages and allowances more transparent.
As part of its platinum jubilee celebrations, the RBI has been organising seminars, awareness campaigns and financial outreach camps across the country.
She also added that this was to "maintain public confidence in the banking system, protect depositors' interest and provide cost-effective banking services to the public".
"A district consultative committee of banks led by concerned district commissioner or magistrate will draw up a road map to provide banking services, in any form, to every village in the country with a population of over 2,000, at least once a week on a regular basis by March 2011," she added.
