Taking another step in the propagation of the national e-governance mission, Aksh Optifibre Limited has launched micro ATM services by the State Bank of India across all its e-governance kiosks across Rajasthan. The company operates these kiosks under its flagship brand ?1 Stop Aksh? which is playing a major role in the government?s e-governance mission and the recently launched financial inclusion plan by the prime minister. The company operates a large number of kiosks across the state under the E-Mitra project of the Government of Rajasthan.
The SBI micro ATM facility will be available across the company?s network of kiosk holders in the state who will facilitate an instant money withdrawal of up to Rs. 1000 in a day. The first phase of the project will see upwards of 6000 Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machines being deployed for service with this number steadily increasing over the next couple of years. DoIT, Rajasthan which manages the E-Mitra programme had earlier done a tie-up with the State Bank of India wherein all its outlets can be appointed as Customer Service Points to State Bank of India and carry out banking transactions on behalf of the bank. Some key services under the previous agreement include Deposit of Cash, Withdrawal of Cash and Money transfer to another SBI account holder in other locations.
Under the new agreement, SBI card holders will be able to walk into any of the e-mitra kiosks in the state and swipe their cards on the machine and withdraw money. The kiosk holder will make an instant payment to the customer, once the transaction has been approved by the bank, just like in an atm transaction. This facility is being widely regarded as a stepping stone to reach out to the remote interior areas of the state and spread the reach of financial institutions to these areas. The Government, which is backing firm steps towards the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana aims to provide every citizen of the country with a bank account so that all government benefits could be directly routed to the intended beneficiary and pushing the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme of the Union Government.
Chetan Choudhari, Managing Director- Aksh Optifibre Limited said, ?Aksh is one of the earliest entrants in the e-governance space in India and has been a continuous part of the growth story the space has been witnessing over the past couple of years. Developments on the technology front, as well as supportive government policies are aiding the growth of the project. Another major aspect of this growth story is the improvement of connectivity and data coverage across the rural regions of the country.?
With the NOFN project of the government expected to be completed by 2016, and the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) already in full force, the scope of services being delivered through such initiatives is set to increase drastically over the next couple of years. Banking & Financial Services are expected to be the game changers of the entire process as nationwide connectivity will join the country in one single harmonious thread where every citizen has the right to claim his share of benefits which the Government has to offer in the form of remissions, subsidies etc.
