Promoting Rural and Inclusive Banking

ICICI Bank's strategy to serve the rural segment of the Indian economy is based on the integrated nature of the rural ecosystem. The Bank's operational structure and offerings put it in a unique position to leverage opportunities in different ecosystems within the rural markets. The Bank has identified four main ecosystems in the rural market, namely farmers, dealers, self-employed people and micro-entrepreneurs with comprehensive banking solutions. The Bank’s product offerings and solutions include working capital loans for growing crops and financing of post-harvest activities, financing against warehouse receipts, term loans for farm equipment, lending against gold jewellery, personal loans, affordable housing finance, and auto and two-wheeler loans. Financial solutions are offered to micro-finance institutions, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), co-operatives constituted by farmers and corporations, and small and medium enterprises engaged in agriculture-linked businesses.

51%

Business Centres in rural and semi-urban areas

650

Business Centres in previously unbanked villages and suburbs

4,300

ATMs and Cash Recycler Machines

9,345

Business Correspondents

Rural and Semi Urban Network

We have a vast nationwide network of business centres (branches), ATMs, field staff and business correspondents which enables us to provide extensive coverage of the rural segment. The Bank has a network of 5,900 business centres across the country. More than half of them are in rural and semi-urban areas. At March 31, 2023, the Bank had over 21.1 million Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA) of which around 4.4 million accounts were opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

Supporting Underprivileged Women

It is ICICI Bank's sustained endeavour to support India’s underprivileged women and help them to enhance their income. We provide funding to SHGs, a team of 10-15 women engaged in diverse livelihood activity, to address their credit needs. The SHG members pool their savings to promote livelihood activity.

1.03 million

Women benefitted

92,395

SHGs funded

420,204

First-time borrowers

During fiscal 2023

Success Story

Ashapura MA Self Help Group Antri Gawadi Antri village in Rajsamand district, Rajasthan

Members of Ashapura MA SHG Antri selling herbal gulal

हम विभिन्न आकारों के अपने गुलाल पैकेट बेचने के लिए विभिन्न शहरों की यात्रा करते हैं। प्रॉफिट मार्जिन अच्छा है और हमारे उत्पाद हर कहीं नजर भी आने लगे हैं। हम गुलाल से खेलने के उन बचपन के दिनों से लेकर गुलाल बनाने और बेचने के व्यवसाय में जुटी आत्मविश्वासी और आत्म-निर्भर महिलाएं बनने तक का लंबा सफर तय कर चुकी हैं। हमें यह देखकर भी खुशी हो रही है कि हमारे प्रयास सरकार के 'वोकल फॉर लोकल' अभियान का भी समर्थन कर रहे हैं जिसका उद्देश्य स्थानीय रूप से निर्मित वस्तुओं को बढ़ावा देना है।

From playing ‘gulal’ to making ‘gulal’

हमने दूसरों को ऐसा करते हुए सुना था, लेकिन कभी नहीं सोचा था कि एक दिन हम हर्बल गुलाल भी बनाएंगे, एक रंगीन पाउडर जिसका उपयोग रंगों के भारतीय त्योहार होली मनाने के लिए किया जाता है। आईसीआईसीआई बैंक से प्राप्त धनराशि से हमने प्राकृतिक एवं सुरक्षित हर्बल गुलाल बनाना शुरू किया। बैंक ऋण के कारण हमारा एसएचजी राजस्थान ग्रामीण आजीविका विकास परिषद (आरजीएवीपी), एक स्वयं सहायता समूह प्रवर्तक संस्थान (एसएचपीआई) द्वारा समर्थित 40 ऐसे समूहों में से एक बन गया। (We had heard of others doing it but never thought one day we would also make herbal gulal, a coloured powder used to celebrate Holi – the Indian festival of colours. We started making natural and safe herbal gulal with the funds received from ICICI Bank. The Bank loan led to our SHG becoming one of 40 such groups supported by the Rajasthan Grameen Aajivika Vikas Parishad (RGAVP), a Self Help Group Promoting Institution (SHPI).)

SHPI is a scheme of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for promoting and financing of Self-Help Groups. It is being implemented across 150 backward districts of the country.

RGAVP has trained us to make the product by handpicking a variety of colourful flowers and leaves from the forest and boiling them in hot water. Once cooled, we grind the mixture and then add aromatic extracts to it. RGAVP has also helped us in providing market access to sell the gulal. It has also helped us showcase and sell our products at stalls set up in malls, tourist places and cooperative markets.

हम विभिन्न आकारों के अपने गुलाल पैकेट बेचने के लिए विभिन्न शहरों की यात्रा करते हैं। प्रॉफिट मार्जिन अच्छा है और हमारे उत्पाद हर कहीं नजर भी आने लगे हैं। हम गुलाल से खेलने के उन बचपन के दिनों से लेकर गुलाल बनाने और बेचने के व्यवसाय में जुटी आत्मविश्वासी और आत्म-निर्भर महिलाएं बनने तक का लंबा सफर तय कर चुकी हैं। हमें यह देखकर भी खुशी हो रही है कि हमारे प्रयास सरकार के 'वोकल फॉर लोकल' अभियान का भी समर्थन कर रहे हैं जिसका उद्देश्य स्थानीय रूप से निर्मित वस्तुओं को बढ़ावा देना है। (We travel to various cities to sell our gulal packets in different sizes. The profit margins are good and our products have received excellent visibility too. We have come a long way, indeed, from those childhood days of playing with gulal to becoming self-confident and self-dependent women engaged in the business of making and selling gulal. We are also happy to see that our efforts are also supporting the Government’s ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign that aims to promote locally made goods.)

Success Story

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Rajivika
Self Help Group

Asop village in Jodhpur district, Rajasthan

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Rajivika SHG members with Rajasthani jootis made by them

From surviving to thriving

रंग-बिरंगी राजस्थानी जूतियां यानी राज्य के हस्तशिल्प के प्रतीक पारंपरिक डिजाइन वाले स्लिप-ऑन शैली के जूते का इतिहास उतना ही पुराना है जितना कि इस राज्य का। खूबसूरती से डिजाइन की गई हस्तनिर्मित जूतियां जो कभी राजाओं और रानियों के पैरों की शोभा बढ़ाती थीं, अब भारत और दुनिया के कई हिस्सों में आम जनता के बीच बेहद लोकप्रिय हैं। हम पुरुषों और महिलाओं के लिए पारंपरिक राजस्थानी जूतियां बना रहे हैं और उन्हें स्थानीय बाजारों में भेज रहे हैं और पर्यटकों को भी बेच रहे हैं। ये जूतियां चमड़े और हाथ से रंगे कपड़ों से बनाई जाती हैं, जिनमें मसालों और फल – फूलों से निकाले गए पूरी तरह से प्राकृतिक रंगों का उपयोग किया जाता है। (The colourful Rajasthani jootis, the traditional slip-on style footwear with ethnic designs symbolising the state’s handicraft, have a history as old as the state itself. The beautifully-designed handcrafted jootis that once adorned the feet of kings and queens are immensely popular with the general public in India and several parts of the world. We have been making traditional Rajasthani jootis for men and women, and selling them in the local market and to the tourists as well. These jootis are made of leather and hand-dyed fabric, using completely natural dyes extracted from spices and vegetables.)

For long, we had been keeping the local craft of jooti-making alive, but the income from our products barely helped us survive. Encouraged by the popularity of our creatively-designed jootis, we decided to expand our portfolio to attract more customers and enhance our earnings. However, lack of funding appeared to be a stumbling block. When we were close to abandoning our expansion plan, ICICI Bank came forward as a saviour and extended help to scale up our enterprise. The funding has given a significant boost to our business and led to a substantial increase in our earnings. The SHPI associated with us has given us a platform to sell our products through exhibitions, Gramin Haat melas (rural open-air market fairs) and in the local markets.

अब, हम अपने व्यवसाय को और अधिक विस्तारित करने और अपने जीवन को जूतियों की तरह रंगीन और समृद्ध बनाने की योजना के साथ आगे बढ़ रहे हैं।

अब, हम अपने व्यवसाय को और अधिक विस्तारित करने और अपने जीवन को जूतियों की तरह रंगीन और समृद्ध बनाने की योजना के साथ आगे बढ़ रहे हैं। (Now, we are planning to expand our business and make our lives as colourful and thriving as the jootis we make.)

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