Public sector lender, State Bank of Hyderabad has increased its extent of focus on financial inclusion targets. The associate bank of the largest lender of the country, State Bank of India has extended the project to 1,102 villages spread across 36 districts in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

With this, the bank would be targetting a total of 42.79 lakh rural population.

The project is divided in two phases. The first phase would cover 300 villages by March 2011 while the second targets to cover the remaining number by March 2012.

The bank has already opened savings bank accounts in 261 villages in AP and Karnataka.

Celebrating Republic Day, the lender also distributed biometric cards to people in some villages.