Urging people not to believe rumours, the finance ministry on Thursday said Rs 500 has been deposited in each PMJDY account held by women for April and Rs 1,000 more will be given over the next two months in equal instalments.
The Jan Dhan Yojana scheme was launched in August 2014 for a period of four years as a national mission for financial inclusion to ensure access of financial services like bank accounts, insurance, and pensions to the masses. 32.41 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme and as much Rs 81,200 crore has been deposited in them so far.
Meanwhile, state-owned SBI, which has the highest number of PMJDY accounts, asked the beneficiaries not to believe in rumours that the money will be taken away by the government if not withdrawn amid large numbers of people flocking banks.
As a result of this, there is a rush at bank branches leading to violation of social distancing guidelines to check the spread of coronavirus.
The Department of Financial Services (DFS) in a tweet said the government has deposited Rs 500 in the PMJDY accounts held by women for April and beneficiaries could withdraw it “any time”.
“This amount (Rs 500) has reached your bank account and you can withdraw it any time,” it said and added Rs 500 will also be deposited during May as well in June.
The DFS, in the finance ministry, also asked the beneficiaries not to believe in rumours and withdraw the amount from ATM, customer service point or banks as per their convenience.
Of the total 38.08 crore accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), as many as 20.60 crores were held by women. As on April 1, the deposits in the PMJDY accounts stood at over Rs 1.19 lakh crore.
State Bank of India (SBI) further said, “We would like to assure our customers that the funds in your account will not be blocked or returned to the government.”
The country’s largest lender also asked the PMJDY account holders to withdraw money at their convenience anytime.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced this as part of the Rs 1.70-lakh crore relief package announced last month.
