Port Blair, Sept. 19: Shri. Bhagat Singh, Chairman, Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank Ltd. (ANSCB) has been awarded as the Best Chairman among all the Cooperative Banks in the Country for the year 2018, for his dynamic leadership, vision, outstanding performance and work excellence in extending banking for socio-economic development. The facilitation was done in a grand function organized at New Delhi on 8th September 2018 with Dr. R. Gandhi, former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India gracing the occasion as Chief Guest of the function.

The Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank started its journey way back on 31^st March 1966 and since then have been successfully and serving the Islanders. However with Shri Bhagat Singh holding the helm of affairs of ANSCB as Chairman on 31.05.2012, the Bank has gone through tremendous changes in adaptability and approach in meeting the common economic, social and cultural needs, aspiration of the people and implementation of Govt. schemes residing in these Islands. For these reasons, the client base of the bank which was 1,80,000 (One Lakh Eighty Thousand) during 2012 has gone up to 3,00,000 (Three Lakhs) during 2018 with the Bank Turnover getting more than double in this span of six years taking the figure to Rs.1428 Crores during the year from 2012 to 2018. Before 2012, it was Rs. 678 Crores from 1966 to 2012.

The Chairman’s leadership played an instrumental role in regenerating banking services by boosting Trade & Tourism, Employment Generation & Skill development by promoting SHGs etc., intended to cause social and financial empowerment for small businesses and poor urban & rural populace of A&N Islands.

Under his Chairmanship the ANSCB has gone through phenomenal changes with bank adopting wide range of banking and financial services, thereby bringing banking to the doorstep of the lowest segment of society and boosting cooperative movement in these Islands.

Despite geographical and technological constraint being experienced in these far flung islands, the bank is providing array of banking services at remotest location at par with nationalize and commercial banks operating in these islands.

Few achievements which A & N State Coop. Bank attained under the guidance and inspiration of Shri Bhagat Singh are

•    Core Banking Solution (CBS) of all the 41 branches

•    Modernization of conventional branches into State of the art branches.

•    Islands 1^st Solar ATM

•    Opening of 12 no. new branches

•    Introduced Island’s First All Women Bank branch at Garacharma, South Andaman

•    ATM Connectivity through NPCI’s National Financial Switch

•    First bank to introduce NPCI’s Rupay ATM Debit cards in Andaman &

Nicobar Islands

•    First Cooperative Bank in India to become live in PFMS enabling 100% DBT coverage in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

•    RTGS / NEFT / E-Commerce / PoS / IMPS

•    Actively campaigned Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana across its 41branches and opened over 14,000 accounts across the Island, which is 100 % Aadhar linked.

•    Actively participated in enrollment of PMSBY and PMJJBY social security schemes of Govt. of India and achieved 100 % coverage. 

•    Door delivery of Old age, Disability, Destitute and Widow Pensions.