Opening of Bank Branches in Minorities Populated Areas

Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State for Minority Affairs has informed. Pursuant to the submission of Sachar Committee Report, with a view to enhance opportunities for education, ensure an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment through existing and new schemes, enhanced credit support for self-employment and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs, the Government has undertaken various schemes/initiatives for the welfare of minorities. One of such initiatives include- ‘Public sector banks will be advised to open more branches in Muslim concentration areas’. As on 31.03.2014, a total of 19,119 bank branches of Public Sector Banks have been opened in the areas with substantial minority population. During 2014-15, 1,153 New Bank Branches have been opened in the areas with substantial minority population.

As per the information available with the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, the nodal Department monitoring the initiative of opening of bank branches in the areas with substantial minority population, as on 30th June, 2015 a total of 9,505 Scheduled Commercial Banks branches (2,860 Rural, 3,236 Semi Urban, 2,036 Urban and 1,373 Metropolitan branches) was functional in Tamil Nadu. However, in so far as the the State-wise details of the bank branches opened in the areas with substantial minority population are concerned, the same are not being maintained.