Jan Dhan camps by banks on all Saturdays

Over 1.84 crore bank accounts have been opened under the Jan Dhan scheme and banks will organise camps from 8 am to 8 pm on all Saturdays to reach out to unbanked households, the government said on Friday.

"It has been decided that henceforth, the banks will be holding such camps on weekly basis, from 8 am to 8 pm on all Saturdays so that the target of covering unbanked households is achieved well in time," a finance ministry statement said.

It further said that beneficiaries, who already have a bank account, are also eligible to take benefits of accident insurance of Rs 1 lakh and life insurance of Rs 30,000 under this scheme by getting a RuPay card issued from their bank branch before January 26, 2015.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, a mega financial inclusion scheme, to cover about 7.5 crore unbanked households. The statement said said more than 70,000 camps were held all over the country and 1,84,68,000 accounts were opened.

Under the scheme, a person from an unbanked household, opening an account will get a RuPay debit card with a Rs 1 lakh accident insurance cover. An additional Rs 30,000 life insurance cover will also be given if the accounts are opened till January 26, 2015.

"The modalities of this additional life cover are being worked out by the Department of Financial Services," the statement added.