Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Oct 19: ‘KBL – Empower Biometric Smart Card’, the new technology product being brought out by Karnataka Bank, will be released at Babbur village in Hiriyur taluk, Chitradurga district, on Wednesday October 20.

Managing director of the bank, P Jayaram Bhat, will dedicate this product to the public at a function being held at 10.30 am on Wednesday, at the said village. Range Gowda, chief executive officer of Chitradurga zilla panchayat, will hand over smart cards to beneficiaries.

Payment to the beneficiaries of National Rural Employment Guarantee, and Social Security Pension schemes, will be made through these smart cards. Over 34,000 beneficiaries based in Bellary, Chitradurga and Gulbarga districts under these schemes will be able to handle their savings bank accounts through these cards, in the initial stages.

By March 31, 2012, the bank proposes to distribute 2.5 lac smart cards to people from 78 rural areas under financial inclusion scheme of the bank, and provide banking services to them, a release from the bank said.