Page 54 - MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS EBOOK IC88

(a) Roads
1. In 2000, more than 50% villages did not have a metalled road or a bus stop within 2 kms. Only 47%
villages had all weather roads. These were villages with population of 1500 or above. The number of
habitations to benefit from this Yojna was 1.67 lakhs.
2. There are considerable differences between states in these and other infrastructure details. Punjab,
Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are considered developed
States.

(b) Banking

1. The number of branches of banks in the country increased from 1,01,570 in 2011-12 to 1,23,180
in 2013-14 and 1,26,000 in 2014-15.

2. There are, in the rural areas, bank correspondents, called bank mitras, who would go to the
villages with micro ATMs to enable the villagers to do banking transaction. Micro ATMs are
actually card swipe machines, with a finger print scanner, through which a bank customer can
remotely connect to the bank's core banking system using the debit card.

3. All the rural post offices would be brought on the core banking platform, which allows an
account holder to operate an account from any branch. The arm is to have 2 or 3 alternative
systems in every village for DBT.

4. Kisan credit cards enable farmers to get loans over periods of 3 to 5 years.

5. India Post has installed nearly 900 ATMs in the rural areas. The parcel revenue of the postal
department grew by 45% in 2014-15 and a staggering 100% till February 2016. In 2015-16, it
delivered 43 core parcels, earning Rs.1645 crores.

6. All these companies are keen to use the extensive infrastructure of the postal department to
take advantage of the massive business opportunities.

(c) Telecom

The rural areas are well covered by basic telecom services through penetration of computers and smart
phones. In 2015, it was estimated that there were 138 million users of internet in the rural areas. This
was growing at more than 50% annually. Online portals are being seen as key channels for companies
trying to enter and establish themselves in the rural market. Internet is cost effective for companies
looking to overcome geographical barriers and increase reach.

(d) Health

The Government of India has also announced health insurance packages covering up to T 1 lakh hospital
expenses (7 30000 more for those aged over 60 years). The programme includes maintenance of
electronic health records.

D. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

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