The inauguration of the Fourth Edition of the Smart India Conclave by AISECT.

CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The leading social enterprise of India, AISECT, inaugurated the fourth Smart India Conclave – 2024 at the Kushabhau Thakre Auditorium. The theme of this conclave is “The Role of Skill Development, Financial Inclusion, and Social Entrepreneurship in Building a Developed India.” On the first day of this two-day conference, eminent experts from reputed organizations active in the banking and financial inclusion sector were present. Among them were Pramod Kumar Bansal, General Manager of State Bank of India; Tarsem Singh Jheera, General Manager of Central Bank of India, Bhopal; Kamal Javed, General Manager of NABARD; H.K. Soni, General Manager of Reserve Bank of India, Bhopal; Neeraj Prasad, General Manager of State Bank of India; M. Bhaskar Chakravarti, General Manager of Canara Bank; Santosh Choubey, Chairman of AISECT; Siddharth Chaturvedi, Executive Vice President of AISECT; and Anurag Gupta, Director of AISECT.

Additionally, more than 1500 entrepreneurs from across the country attended the program. During the event, AISECT presented a presentation and film on financial inclusion and launched the FI Brochure, Samarth, and FI Kiosks Dialogue, along with the celebration of the 2024 campaign. Furthermore, prominent entrepreneurs from across the country were honored for their outstanding work.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Pramod Kumar Bansal, General Manager of State Bank of India, said that one account is opened by AISECT FI Centers out of every 50 accounts opened by SBI in Madhya Pradesh. This illustrates the impact of the work being done by AISECT. He also praised the upskilling initiative taken by AISECT for these centers, which is a commendable step towards the development of India.

Later, Tarsem Singh Jheera, General Manager of Central Bank of India, Bhopal, mentioned that AISECT is working to deliver services related to e-governance and financial inclusion to the last person. Kamal Javed, General Manager of NABARD, while speaking to the entrepreneurs, mentioned the schemes of the Government of India and stressed the need to raise awareness among the people, a task that should also be done by the centers.

Moreover, H.K. Soni, General Manager of Reserve Bank of India, discussed universal access, stating that RBI’s endeavor was to have an FI center within a 5 km radius, which is now possible. He also explained how FI centers can provide various types of services and can promote financial literacy in rural parts of the country. Additionally, M. Bhaskar Chakravarti, General Manager of Canara Bank, provided several tips to increase the income of FI centers.

In his concluding remarks as the session chair, Santosh Choubey, Chairman of AISECT, said that to make India developed, we need to focus primarily on the block and panchayat levels, only then significant change is possible.