SBI to launch special service for visually handicapped

State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender is planning to start a new service for the visually handicapped persons, as part of its responsibility to better service society

The new service named Self Service Banking Centre (SSBC) will become operational shortly. The Centre of this service has been set up at the Delhi Head office of SBI at Parliament Street. The Centre has handicapped friendly design with a ramp for wheelchairs.

For visually handicapped, the ATM has a dedicated Braille keypad facility.

Basically, SSBC is a staff less banking group offering multiple banking facilities, namely ATMs, Internet banking and mobile banking.

Senior Bank officials told, “Roll out of the SSBCs is aimed at increasing customer convenience and improving access to financial services.”

Recently SBI Chairman OP Bhatt inaugurated the Centre soon it will be opened for public.

India is possible a unique to country to have an extensive and elaborated program of financial inclusion. Currently it has tied-up with state-run Banks to provide 40 per cent of their lending to customers from the priority sector, including agriculture, artisans, small and medium enterprises and scheduled castes and tribes.

Most of the government owned banks are giving loans to students for pursuing studies, which is growing rapidly.

The public sector banks are also in the process of covering the unbanked sectors of the economy in the urban and rural areas where up till now banking has not reached. In these areas large segment of society remains under the clutches of money lenders, who charge exorbitant rate of interest.

The state-owned banks are also taking new measures to reach out to the less privileged groups and those having problems by virtue of a chance of birth or that developed later on in life. They need compassion and help.

The private sector banks who are earning profit are also reluctant to start such services the Banks like HSBC has already started offering financial inclusion services.

In countries like South Africa, the banking services are highly expensive for common customers. For instance, on not maintaining minimum balance in the account the banks charge for this, there is charge for account statement also.

In spite of a nationwide program of Black empowerment, the black population of South Africa is still poor and finding difficulty in using financial services, including banking and insurance.

According to experts India is being looked as a role model by many countries for other developing countries to follow especially for financial services. India banking sector was not much affected by the global meltdown while the banking sector in the West faced very bad financial crisis. The Indian banking sector financial services include elaborate program of financial inclusion and now special facilities for certain sections like women and small enterprises and the latest special services for visually handicapped persons by the biggest bank of the country.