When the bank started with its Financial Inclusion drive, the major stumbling block which the bank faced was the lack of knowledge and confidence of the huge unreached population about the financial services on offer and the formal financial institutions. The bank thus came out with a mandate to make the masses aware of the available Banking & Financial services, the benefits of those and the benefits of transacting through banks rather than informal institutions.

We concluded that the first step towards FI should be Financial Literacy which is a prerequisite to make FI meaningful and sustainable. Financial Literacy is to help the unreached sector realize the importance of financial services in improving the standard of their living. The idea is basically to create a need and synergize the demand thus created with the supply of financial services by the formal institutions.

The bank has opened 26 FLCC across its 14 lead districts to fulfill its mandate of financial literacy and counselling of the unreached and unbanked sector.

Branches are conducting Financial Literacy Camps at regular intervals to create awareness of people and gain knowledge on Financial Products & Services, effects changes in their economic behavior so that they open Bank accounts, avail Overdraft and small credits, Insurance & Pension Products. The basic message of awareness is to create demand down the line. It also includes Financial Education on why to save, why save with Banks, why to borrow and repay, what is interest rate, why to have insurance and pension & why to seed Aadhaar number, use of Rupay cards for cashless payments… etc.

• Informing the unreached sector about the usefulness of formal financial channel over informal financial channels
• Gaining the unreached sector's confidence on formal financial channels