Need for awareness and enforcement

The Digital India initiative aims to promote financial inclusion and transparency through digital banking. With advancements in assistive technology, blind individuals can now use mobile devices and computers for banking transactions. However, a significant gap remains between policy and practice, particularly in public sector banks.

The Eyeway Helpdesk in Mumbai received two distressing calls highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by visually impaired customers in accessing basic banking services.

Sangemeshwar Sangundi, a twenty-seven-year-old blind professional from Borati, Solapur, works with a company in Pune. Despite being a graduate pursuing post-graduation, he faced unnecessary hurdles in linking his Aadhaar card to his Bank of Maharashtra account. This delay, stretching from March to June 2024, nearly cost him the opportunity to apply for an MPSC scholarship.

In another case, fifty-two-year-old Bhikhan Bhai Bhojabhai from Junagad, Gujarat, a self-employed individual, encountered resistance from Bank of Baroda in availing mobile banking facilities for his joint account with his illiterate wife. The bank staff, ignorant of RBI and IBA guidelines, wrongly claimed that joint accounts with thumb impressions were ineligible for such services.

Both cases reveal a disturbing pattern of discrimination and lack of awareness among bank employees. Despite RBI guidelines mandating equal treatment for visually impaired customers, many bank staff continue to operate on outdated assumptions, equating blindness with illiteracy and inadequacy.

The Eyeway counsellor intervened in both situations, armed with relevant circulars and persistent follow-ups. While Sangemeshwar’s issue was resolved after three months, allowing him to apply for the scholarship, Bhikhan Bhai’s case required escalation to higher authorities and the Banking Ombudsman.
These incidents underscore the critical need for comprehensive training and sensitization of banking staff across India. The presence of visually impaired employees in public sector banks has not translated into improved services for blind customers, indicating a systemic failure in policy implementation.

The journey towards true financial inclusion for visually impaired requires concerted efforts from regulatory bodies, banks, and advocacy groups to bridge the gap between progressive policies and their implementation.

Team Eyeway