Union Minister opens a J&K Bank Easy Business Unit in a Kathua border village

26 October 2026

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated an Easy Business Unit of J&K Bank at Village Chakra in Hiranagar, Kathua, on 25 October 2026. The facility is aimed at bringing banking services closer to residents and enabling access to financial transactions, government welfare schemes and digital banking facilities. The Minister said the number of J&K Bank branches in Kathua district has increased from 31 in 2014 to 55 in the last twelve years, with 13 new branches added and 11 in the pipeline. He said roads now extend up to the zero line in several stretches along the international border, and that bunkers have been constructed in border areas in accordance with prescribed security standards. On financial inclusion he said that under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana more than 59 crore bank accounts have been opened across the country, enabling people to receive government benefits through Direct Benefit Transfers. He also highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, which provides collateral-free loans to eligible micro and small entrepreneurs.