Banks can become agents of social transformation, says Modi

MUMBAI, INDIA: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had called upon banks to create one lakh "Swachhta Entrepreneurs" within a year, to make the "Swachh Bharat" vision a sustainable reality.

The Prime Minister  on the occasion of the dedication of ICICI's Digital Village to the Nation, urged ICICI Bank to adopt a social charter of such tangible goals.

The Prime Minister spoke of Akodara Village in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, chosen by ICICI Bank as a digital village. He said Akodara had a cattle hostel, which had contributed immensely to improving incomes and cleanliness in the village. He said more and more villages across India would adopt this model soon. The Prime Minister said rural development could emerge as a powerhouse of economic development for the country.

He said banks in India should actually compete for achieving maximum cashless transactions, as this would be the best solution to the problem of black money.

The Prime Minister said people in India had a propensity towards saving, but this was targeted towards gold. The challenge for banks was to assure people that a bank account would ensure easy access to their savings whenever required. He said if banks were able to do so, they could emerge as agents of social transformation.

Earlier, Akodara village of Sabarkantha District in Gujarat was formally dedicated as a digital village by the Prime Minister.