Bank, Postal Employees In Odisha Can Now Deliver Cash To The Elderly, Differently-abled People

Bhubaneswar: The State Government on Monday allowed the Bank and Postal employees to deliver cash to the doorsteps of elderly and differently-abled people after receiving phone calls from them seeking assistance in this regard, officials said.

“Postal and bank employees are allowed to move to the premises of senior citizens and differently-abled persons to deliver cash, on phone calls during working hours, with strict adherence to safety measures,” the Finance Department said in an order.

This move comes as a countermeasure to protect the vulnerable groups against the coronavirus, while the elderly people have been asked to stay indoors due to their susceptibility to COVID-19. 

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) that has been helping the elderly with volunteers delivering medicines and groceries brought the government’s attention to the issue of cash withdrawal. Exclusive timings have also been fixed for the elderly by the administration earlier.

Finance Department has allowed financial institutions to operate with limited staff till August 31 while Public & Private sector banks and insurance firms are allowed to operate at 50 per cent staff capacity at bigger branches with adherence to the COVID safety measures.