Prayagraj: The banking correspondent sakhis in Uttar Pradesh are expanding banking services in rural areas, making it accessible for all.The expansion of banking services in rural areas has always been considered a major challenge due to a lack of infrastructure and manpower, but an army of rural women has accomplished this task admirably.For instance, Reena Kumari, a resident of Nevada Kheruwa village in the Saidabad block of Prayagraj, has carved a niche for herself by managing over 3,000 bank accounts in 21 rural villages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also praised Reena’s work.Banking correspondent sakhi Reena said that she started working in 2021 after joining the State Rural Livelihood Mission and forming the Khushi Livelihood Self-Help Group. She began visiting village to village, encouraging women to open accounts. Initially, she faced many challenges, as many women refused to open accounts but she continued to contact women and now manages 3,142 accounts.Reena’s husband works as a teacher in a private school, and she has two kids, aged 5 and 8. With no other source of income, Reena joined the Khushi Aajeevika Self-Help Group and began working as a banking correspondent sakhi. Reena visited homes of villagers offering deposit and withdrawal services and also opened accounts at their homes.Once she received her CSC ID, she started receiving work related to electricity bills, crop insurance, obtaining copies of land records, applications for Kisan Samman Nidhi, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, old-age pension, disability pension, widow pension, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, PM Surya Ghar Yojana, and other govt schemes.Reena’s work not only helped villagers open bank accounts but also generated income for her through their transactions. Inspired by her, many women started working as banking correspondent sakhis. This campaign has proved a lifeline for many women like Reena, under the guidance of Prayagraj’s deputy commissioner (NRLM) Gulab Chandra. Currently, 1,040 banking correspondent sakhis are working in Prayagraj district.
