Post News Network
Angul, Sept 5: A year after the ponzi fraud, postal savings have taken a leap in Angul district with post offices in the region registering a whopping deposit of Rs 8 crore.
This has become possible as the depositors defrauded by ponzi firms have perhaps realised their fault and have started investing in postal savings, which assure of guaranteed return along with the accrued interest. This was stated here by district small savings officer Surath Barik while talking to this correspondent Friday.
Sources said the chit fund fraud triggered up a volley of protests in the state following which the state government ordered a Crime Branch inquiry. However, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finally took up the probe and made some arrests which calmed downed the protests.
All the post offices including the head post office, 200 rural post offices and 30 sub-post offices recorded deposits of Rs 71, 37, 75,964 between April and July 2014.
Later, the depositors withdrew Rs60, 73, 47,883 leaving onlyRs10, 64, 28, 81. However, in 2015 the deposit surged beyond expectation as the same period from April to July witnessed a whopping deposit of Rs 98,54, 60,529 while withdrawals were Rs 80,32,07,305. The rest of the deposit were Rs 18, 22, 53,224. A year after, an additional Rs 8 crore have been added to the deposits.
Moreover, a plain look at the month of July-2014 reveals the eagerness among people for depositing in post offices. While the deposits were Rs 15,68,82,426 people withdrew Rs15,68,82,426 leaving back Rs 2,46,703 in the accounts.
Similarly, the deposits in July-2015 were atRs 29, 32, 92,666 while the withdrawal was Rs 21,98,44,400. The the deposits remained were Rs 7,34 ,48,266. This increase in the quantum of deposits can be attributed to disillusionment of people with chit fund deposits after the scam, Barik added.
Postmaster Rabindra Sethy of Angul head post office echoed Barik’s views saying the deposits were quite disappointing before the chit fund fraud. However, after the scam they are now making a beeline before the counters to open new accounts. They are particularly investing in Kisan Vikas Patra and long-term deposits ranging from one year to five years.
A defrauded depositor Bijay Nayak also claimed post office deposits were safer than
chit funds.