SBI has launched an aggressive financial inclusion campaign in Andhra Pradesh to cover 1,130 villages and for that purpose, the bank has set up financial inclusion centres in all the 23 districts, according to Mr Shiva Kumar, Deputy Managing Director.

After inaugurating an SME branch here on Saturday, he told presspersons that the bank would make use of all possible models to achieve the objective.

“We cannot, of course, open so many branches, but we will use innovative methods such as bank on bike to reach the rural masses. The model envisages sending a person to the village on certain days to collect deposits, make payments and take loan application forms. He, or she, will be attached to the nearest branch and will cover three villages. The Andhra Pradesh Government has given us time till March, 2012, to complete the programme, but we will finish it six months ahead of schedule,” he said.

He said Andhra Pradesh was the most important state for the bank with a CD ratio of 128 per cent, and 100 more branches would be added during the current financial year and 100 more during 2011-12.

He said 500 more ATMs would be added by the bank in the State.