Kathmandu, April 20:The number of poor rural women receiving financial services from the General Uthan Bank (Poor People Upliftment Bank) has reached 27,626.

The bank established in line with the conception of the Rural Development Bank of Bangladesh has been providing its services as institution working for the poor since the past seven years. It converted into a poor people upliftment bank since November 1998.

Speaking at a function held at Siddharthanagar on the occasion of the first annual general meeting of the Bank, its chairman Himalaya Shamsher Rana said there had been remarkable improvement in the income, assets, education and health of women, thanks to the financial services provided by the bank.

The Bank has been providing financial services at 195 VDCs in Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu, Chitawan, Bara, Rautahat and Parsa districts.

The Bank is to start banking transactions in the coming days in line with the Development Bank Act after obtaining necessary permission from Nepal Rastra Bank.

The proposed scheme aims at accepting deposits from the public, starting banking transactions and disbursing loans for running small businesses, according to chief executive of the Bank Dr. Harihar Dev Panta.

According to him, the scheme also aims at consolidating the programmes conduced in the Terai region so that the ban can earn a profit. The programme will be extended to the hilly areas, which are the main centres of poverty, if financial cooperation is available from any other source.

Customers receiving financial services from the Bank will also be provided with other services concerned with education, health and skills relating to employment.

Loan arrears to be recovered by the Bank have crossed Rs 100 million. Of this 0.47 per cent has exceeded the expiry date.

The chairman says that as the bank has been run efficiently for the last seven years, there are indications that it will become financially self-reliant within a year.