PM Narendra Modi hails Oommen Chandy for Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana success

KOCHI: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has received a pat on the back from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “excellent progress” that the state has achieved on the financial inclusion front.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Kerala CM for crossing the milestone of 100 % coverage of households with bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

The Prime Minister requested Kerala CM to use the bank accounts for transferring benefits under state government schemes directly to beneficiaries. He also welcomed suggestions from the Kerala CM for the implementation of the programme.

“This programme with the ambitious objective of ensuring that all households in the country have a bank account, was a commitment I made on the Independence Day”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a letter to Oommen Chandy. The programme was launched on August 28, 2014.

The Prime Minister said that the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana not only serves the socially laudable objective of financial inclusion but is also a growth enabler as it makes the country ready to launch direct cash transfers. The direct cash transfers will promote efficiency, good governance and transparency, he said. It will allow every household to make use of the modern financial system, he added.