Banking needs stressed

IMPHAL, Jul 18 : Senior Spokesperson of BJP Mani-pur Pradesh M Asnikumar Singh has highlighted the urgent need to bridge the banking infrastructure gaps in Thanga Constituency during a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today at her office in North Block, New Delhi.
In his appeal to the Union Finance Minister, he requested for immediate establishment of two scheduled bank branches - one at Thanga and another at Chingmei, and the installation of four ATM machines at Thanga Part I, Thanga Part II, Moirang-khunou and Kha Thinungei Gram Panchayat areas.
During the meeting, the former Chairman of Loktak Development Authority (LDA) highlighted that Thanga and its surrounding villages - Keibul Lamjao, Chandapur, and Moirang Khunou - do not have a single scheduled bank branch or ATM facility, severely hampering the financial well-being of local residents.
As a predominantly rural and cash-dependent area, people are compelled to travel to Moirang or Kumbi just for basic transactions. This has made day-to-day life increasingly difficult, especially during emergencies or while accessing Government welfare schemes.
He further noted that a proposal for these services had already received approval from the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) in 2017, chaired by the-then Chief Secretary of Manipur following the direction of the-then Union Finance Minister late Arun Jaitley, whom he had approached regarding the same issue in 2015.
While the Finance Minister gave the matter a thoughtful and sympathetic hearing, appreciating the importance of ensuring last-mile access to financial services in far-flung areas, M Asnikumar expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to raise these concerns.