Mangaluru, (The Hindu): Nalin Kumar Kateel, Dakshina Kannada MP, on Friday said banks concerned will be held responsible if the Central government subsidies do not reach the beneficiaries through their Jan Dhan accounts, which might have become de-active.

Presiding over a review meeting of banks in the district here, Mr. Kateel noticed that Jan Dhan accounts in some banks had become de-active while in some other banks, the accounts of targeted beneficiaries were not opened. He asked the banks to immediately activate deactivated accounts.

He noted that the number of subsidised LPG connections under the Ujwala scheme, targeted at 48,000, is likely to be increased to one lakh.

If the Jan Dhan account remains deactivated, the beneficiaries would not get the subsidy through direct benefit transfer, he said.

Mr. Kateel also noted that beneficiaries of Jan Dhan as well as Ujwala scheme are covered by insurance and inoperative accounts would mean denial of benefit.

The MP asked banks to compulsorily provide RuPay debit cards to all Jan Dhan and Mudra scheme beneficiaries.

He has received complaints that many banks refuse to provide RuPay cards on the ground that the customers are issued cards from other service providers. This should not be the reason to deny RuPay cards, he said.

Mr. Kateel also asked banks to ensure that each branch provides Mudra loans to at least five beneficiaries by the date of next review meeting. Priority should be given to people in rural areas, he added. He also expressed displeasure that not much progress is made in providing loans for Startup and Standup projects.

The MP said Jan Dhan convention, a meeting of beneficiaries of all central schemes, would be held in Mangaluru on October 16. The event is likely to be attended by many Central ministers. He urged all banks to be prepared for the convention.