5. 52 Crore Accounts Opened under PMJDY as on 7.10.2014; Deposit of Rs.

4268/- C
rore have been Mobilized under PMJDY
review meeting emphasized the early issue of RuPay Debit Cards, e-KYC based acco
unt opening, Aadhaar seeding and the progress in survey made in the rural as wel
l as urban areas. As on 7th October, 2014, 5.52 crore accounts have been opened
and a deposit of Rs. 4268/- crore have been mobilized under PMJDY so far.
The Union Territories of Chandigarh, Puducherry and the three districts of Gujar
at
Porbandar, Mehsana and Gandhi Nagar have reported that at least one bank acco
unt of all households has been opened thereby making these areas fully saturated
in PMJDY.
During the review, setting up of banking facilities through the Bank Mitrs as en
visaged in PMJDY was emphasized. Senior Officers were asked to visit the field l
ocations, carry out physical verification of the Bank Mitras.
Banks have also been asked to ensure that the Banks Mitrs have proper visibility
, uniforms, Aadhaar Enabled Machines and proper signage board indicating the ava
ilability of banking facilities under PMJDY. The survey work was found to be sat
isfactory except in the States of Maharashtra and Haryana where this has been st
opped in view of the Assembly elections.
All banks were also asked to ensure ground level publicity including wall painti
ng and other relevant media to disseminate the message of PMJDY.
Country s first ever Mental Health Policy unveiled
Mental Health Policy was launched on the first ever National Mental Health Day o
rganised by the government.
The Policy s objective is to provide universal access to mental health care by enh
ancing understanding of mental health and strengthening leadership in the mental
health sector at all levels. It will have a pro-poor orientation .the Policy is
backed up by the Mental Health Action Plan 365 . It clearly spells out the specifi
c roles to be played by the Central government, the state governments, local bod
ies and civil society organisations.
Dr Harsh Vardhan pointed out that earlier laws governing the mentally ill, the I
ndian Lunatic Asylum Act, 1858, and Indian Lunacy Act, 1912, ignored the human r
ights aspect and were concerned only with custodial issues. After Independence i
t took 31 years for India to attempt the first enactment, which resulted another
nine years later in the Mental Health Act, 1987. But due to many defects in thi
s Act, it never came into force in any of the states and union territories.
National Mental Health Day occasion to generate awareness against stigmatisation
of people with mental illnesses and highlight the symptoms and remedial opportu
nities for those with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar syndrome, etc.
World Health Organisation has predicted that about 20 percent of India s populatio
n would suffer from some form of mental illness by 2020.