Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) will install ATM booths for the first time in rural areas aiming to spread modern banking services to the grassroots people, reports BSS.
"I am very much hopeful about launching the village level (ATM) booth services within this fiscal year," said Nazrul Islam, Chairman of RAKUB, while talking to the national news agency in Rajshahi city recently.
On successful promotion of the venture, people can avail the scope of drawing money in village atmosphere and any time based on their necessity that will bring a positive change in the rural living and livelihood condition.
He said the bank aims to reach all the modern banking services including online one to the rural people. More than 300 out of total 379 branches of the bank are located in rural areas. This is an advantage of taking the modern services to the doorstep of rural people quickly and effectively.
Already, computerisation process has been completed in all the branches and launching of online and SMS banking is now the matter of time.
"We have set a target of disbursing loan worth Taka 1950 crore (Tk 19.50 billion) and recovering loan of Taka 1800 crore (Tk 18 billion) in the current fiscal," said Nazrul Islam, adding that around Tk 1.99 billion (Tk 1099 crore) was disbursed and Tk 11.06 billion (Tk 1106 crore) recovered till December of the 2017 calendar year.
As the largest development partner in all 16 north and northwest districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions, RAKUB has been operating its banking activities in the country's north and northwest region targeting its agricultural sector and all its sub-sectors.
Listing the various steps adopted to make the bank clients-friendly, Nazrul Islam said the process of loan disbursement has been freed from corruption, harassment and middlemen benefiting the public in general.
Giving salient feature of various fairs, he said RAKUB has recovered outstanding loans worth 1.79 billion (Tk 179 crore), including classified loan of Tk 290 million (Tk 29 crore), through its Bijoy Mela (Victory Fair). RAKUB organised the two-day fair in all its 379 branches on December 17-18 last marking the 47th Victory Day.
Apart from recovering loans, the bank distributed loan of 1.29 billion (Tk 129 crore) in various potential sectors, including crops, farmers' credit, crop-sharing, green banking and dairy and spice farming, he said.
The state-owned specialised bank has emerged as a profit-making one. It has made operating profit worth Tk 132.9 million (Tk 13.29 crore) during the last (2016-17) fiscal year. "We are expecting profit of more than Tk 500 million (Tk 50 crore) in the current fiscal," the RAKUB chairman said.
To build a poverty-free Bangladesh, he said, the bank had enhanced its lending activities in multipurpose potential fields for boosting agriculture production, intensifying food security and flourishing fisheries, poultry and dairy sectors to reduce protein deficiency.
He said the bank has been putting in its level best effort to establish a dynamic leadership along with accountability and transparency in all its activities to earn confidence of the clients.
"We are giving more emphasis to enhance credit flow towards exploring the potential sectors of the region," Nazrul Islam said adding that the level best effort is on to ensure accountability in all the banking activities.
The bank has formulated a work plan early in the fiscal year and sent its direction to the field level in order to transform the bank into a profit- earning institution along with self-reliant.
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