A year after it was opened, the first all-women branch of the Uttaranchal Gramin Bank here has already got down to business. Despite all odds, the total business of the branch has now reached Rs 8.5 crore when 60 to 70 per cent of the account holders are women. The deposits, too, have grown to Rs 3.5 crore. Women are also getting preference as far as loans are concerned. Run by only three women, the branch has now tied up with various NGOs to boost the sale of local products which are manufactured by women. Interestingly, the branch does not have any security guard. “We are just three women working at this branch. We are happy that the branch is now doing well,” said branch manager Kusum Rana. Buoyed by the success of the branch, the Uttaranchal Gramin Bank is planning to set up three more such branches exclusively for women in the hill state to take the total number of branches to 124. A special women centre has also been opened at the head office of the bank here with the help of Nabard to uplift the condition of women economically as well as socially. “By opening women banks, we want to salute all the women who are called “matrishakti” (empowered women) in Uttarakhand,” said Chairman of the Uttaranchal Gramin Bank Threesh Kapoor. The Uttaranchal Gramin Bank was set up following the merger of Alaknanda Bank, Ganga-Yamuna Bank and Pithoragarh bank in 2006. The main thrust of the bank would be to attract Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and NGOs, which are being represented by women. Social groups in Uttarakhand are found in large number and play a major role in the economic development of the state. The bank has also set up an art gallery at its head office here to promote local artists from the state.
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