Odisha has became the first state in the country to carry financial inclusion and extend banking services to unbanked areas through Self Help Groups. The state government has signed an agreement with State Bank of India to provide banking facilities to people in unbanked areas. In the first phase SHGs would be engaged as Banking Correspondents in around 1,000 remote Gram Panchayats having no banking facilities.<br/><br/>Gradually it would be extended to 4,000 non-banked panchayats. Sources said the system would be of great help to people in rural areas under social security schemes like Pradhan Mantri Bima Surakshya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana etc and would also be helpful in promotion of digital banking. Odisha is a pioneer state in carrying forward financial inclusion through close cooperation between SHGs and banks, said Rajnish Kumar, Managing Director, National Banking Group of the State Bank of India. He said such collaboration would have greater positive impact on Aadhaar seeding of bank accounts.