Public lender, Punjab National Bank has signed a pact with and Sambalpur based Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA) to introduce a technology based financial inclusion program in the state of Orissa.

The move has been taken to reach out to the un-banked population in the area. Last month BISWA had launched a project at Daringibadi in Khandhamal district in association with the SHG groups that are being promoted by the NGO. The agency had made the rural population familiar with smart cards with this launch. This project is likely to cover the entire district of Kandhamal in a progressive manner followed by other districts later on.

The financial inclusion project of PNB and BISWA is determined to resolve the communal conflicts issues in Khandhmal districts. The program decides to address this plan by involving members of Self Help Groups (SHGs), farmers, small and micro entrepreneurs and artisans in the economic activities.

The project is likely to cover over 60% to 70% of the household population in Orissa who do not have any access to the banking environment. It is expected to prove beneficial for the people living in the rural and tribal areas of the state.

BISWA is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that started in 1994. Since the inauguration it has been successful in promoting 35000 Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs). By 2011 it plans to cover over 1 lakh SHGs in Orissa.

PNB in its financial inclusion mission targets to cover 1, 00,000 villages, 15 million households and 75 million people by 2010. The bank has plans to work on financial inclusion projects in 198 districts of the country.