Slum school children run ‘Bachcha Bank’ in Patna

PATNA - Children of a slum school in Patna run a bank to inculcate saving habits among them.

Jyoti Parihar, the director of a school, said it is a move to make a child more constructive and responsible.

The brighter side is that even children have shown a lot of interest in this initiative.

“So, that from childhood itself, they can be organised and can be safeguarded from squandering money. We started this ‘Bachcha Bank’ almost a year back with all these in mind,” said Parihar

“Respected Chief Minister Nitish Kumarji inaugurated the same on Children’s Day last year. It is going to be one year now and I am very happy to share this that within one year itself children have saved more than Rs. 2,00,000 and over 3,00,000 transactions have taken place in this bank,” she added.

Another interesting fact about this bank is that children not only open their accounts in it, but they also mange the bank.

Navin Kumar, the manager of the bank and a student, elatedly confirmed that it is wholly a children’s bank.

“This is children’s bank, children only save money in it and they only manage the bank,” said Navin Kumar.

Children deposit any amount in the bank from their pocket money, or the money given to them by any visitor who visits their place.

They are happy that in future, they will be able to help themselves with their own savings.

“Till now I have saved Rs. 1055, this amount is collected from whatever my mother gives or any elder who visits our place. In my account there is Rs.1055 and in my sister’s account till now there is an amount of Rs. 1002,” said Shalini Kumar, an account holder.

Children have to get admitted to the school to open an account in this bank. The requisite formalities to open a bank account are filling up of the form with four photographs, salary certificate of their guardian and Rs. 10, after which they are provided with proper passbooks and account number. By Ajay Kumar(ANI)