Gone are the days when the people of Bartsham Gewog had to travel to Trashigang, 30 kilometres away, to avail themselves of banking services. Thanks to the Bhutan Development Bank (BDBL) Gewog Extension Office opened in the gewog.
The arrival of banking service at their doorsteps has enabled 57-year-old Sonam Wangmo, a mother of seven, to open a Savings Account. Recently, she also took a loan of Nu 300,000 from the bank to purchase electric fencing.
Sonam Wangmo is happy that she will not have to travel to Trashigang make the monthly loan installment repayments. “It’s highly convenient now that we have a bank in our gewog,” she said.
“Unlike in the past, we will not have to forgo our farm works to go to the bank. It saves us time and cost.”
Other villagers said the easy access to banking service has opened a whole of opportunities for them. “We now don’t worry about money as the bank provides loans for almost everything” said Naki.
“The Gup, Kelzang Dawa, said people are grabbing the opportunity to turn their business ideas into reality.
Of the 400 households in the gewog, 276 individuals have availed agricultural and development loans amounting Nu 58 m from the BDBL. Bank officials said a lot of people in the gewog are also saving money in the bank.
With the BDBL Gewog Extension Office in Bartsham, the bank now has nine such offices across Trashigang.
