India, being a vast and diverse nation, is a complex group of people with various levels of education, literacy, financial awareness and digital contact. Despite the introduction of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana after 2014 and the continuous increase in mobile banking, net banking and ATM’s use, despite remarkable progress in banking and digital financial sectors, the reality is that a large part of the population is still uneducated or semi-educated. These individuals, who do not fully understand the use of ATMs or the complications of digital financial transactions, often face the inability to operate themselves due to insults, frauds, or full boycott from banking system. In this context, adopting a completely educated employee system for all banks of India is not only necessary, but also for the socio-economic health of the country.
In a country where according to the 2021 census, the rural population still contributes to about 65% of the total demographic data, and where adult literacy is still about 77.7%, as reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in September 2020, banking can not only be digitally trained or to be limited to educated classes. In the banking of the uneducated people in banking, especially in services such as ATM withdrawal and deposit, and services such as Credit and Debit Transactions, India’s Financial Empowerment is important for goals and national economic security. A banking employee who is educated and trained not only in operating functions but also in guiding human behavior, communication and weak users is a bridge between the current and fiction future of India’s digital economy.
ATM services are one of the most used banking facilities in both urban and rural areas. Since their widespread arrival in the Indian market in the early 2000s, they have revolutionized the way people reach money. However, even by 2025, thousands of users in rural areas do not know how to use ATM cards correctly, often forget their PINs, put cards incorrectly, confused with language options, or ATMs become victims of fraud. Many elderly or uneducated people find themselves completely dependent on local agents, shopkeepers, or even strangers for help. This dependence opens the doors of unauthorized access to their bank accounts, resulting in theft and disadvantages. If there was a system where bank employees were essentially available at every ATM kiosk, or at least there would have been trained employees in the surrounding branches who had full understanding of guiding such people in simple local language, then the problems would have reduced considerably.
A fully educated employee system does not mean only an employee with a formal degree. It refers to a banking workforce that is proficient in dealing with practical real world conditions associated with untrained users. These employees should have practical skills, knowledge of regional dialects, understanding of financial psychology and the ability to teach users with patience and sympathy. Consider the case of Jharkhand in 2022, where an old man lost his entire pension amount at the hands of a fraud at the ATM booth only because he could not read English instructions and there was no trained employee with him. If the ATM was monitored by local Santhali or trained bank assistant in Hindi, this incident could have been postponed. This reflects the extreme requirement of an educated banking workforce that focuses on inclusion, especially during important interactions related to credit and debit transactions.
Credit and debit transactions are particularly sensitive and risky for uneducated and untrained users. Contrary to withdrawing money, these tasks may include EMI, understanding of interest rates, credit card billing cycles, conditions of repayment, or even general information of transactions limitations. It is common in rural India that users take loans without understanding the terms properly, often because either by indifferent employees are put in a hurry in the process or left to understand the complex financial terminology themselves. A fully educated employee system should be able to explain the loan schemes in such a way that even without any education they can understand what they are signing up for. This not only increases confidence in banks, but can also protect customers from getting caught in debt trap, which is common in informal debt areas such as local moneylenders.
From the historical point of view, the Indian banking sector began to become customer centered after the nationalization of banks in 1969. This became even more reinforced during the 2008 global financial crisis when the Reserve Bank of India emphasized strong internal control, education and transparency in customer contacts. However, in recent years, the aggressive trends moving towards digital banking, UPI apps, online services and self -help kiosks have surpassed many untrained citizens. The 2016 demonetisation campaign further accelerated digital adoption, but also widened the gap between trained and untrained users. Even by 2025, this difference has not been filled sufficiently by banks. Specially trained educated employees are now more necessary to fill this difference.
Banks should also remember their role as a service provider under the norms of the Reserve Bank of India. According to the RBI’s “Customer Rights Charter” released in 2014, one of the Fundamental Rights is “the right to transparency, fair and honest behavior”. If a customer does not understand using his ATM card or difference between credit and debit cards, or is cheated to give him an OTP due to lack of understanding, the bank has failed to follow this charter. Having a full -fledged and responsible staff members who actively assist and education to customers, is a step towards fulfilling this regulatory obligation.
Changes in an inclusive, fully educated employee system should also be included in the bank employee training module. From the probation period, new employees should undergo special rural awareness programs. In these programs, they should be taught to help customers who never used the phone, never caught a pen, and still want to extract their savings or deposit cash. Similarly, banks need to start mobile training camps in villages. A good example of this was seen in Tamil Nadu in 2021, when a local rural bank organized a weekly awareness camps, taught people to identify fake bank messages and use their ATM cards confidently. But these sporadic efforts need to be made a national criteria.
Government support and regulatory incentive are also required. The Finance Ministry should make it mandatory for all banks, both private and public, to publish reports showing how many trained employees are available in each branch to help untrained users. The use of CSR funds should be encouraged for training of employees, especially in high literacy-inter-areas areas of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which leads India’s Digital Inclusion Mission, should cooperate with banks to include financial literacy in its rural e-governance programs. The synergy between banks, government departments and educational institutions can create a strong human structure that is capable of ensuring real financial inclusion.
From the point of view of customer service, a fully educated employee provides more than banking knowledge only. They bring confidence, assurance and respect in customer experience. For example, when an untrained rural ATM goes to the bank after being confused by the failure of ATM transactions, a sensitive and educated employee not only resolves the problem – he explains the process, guides the customer for future security, and creates awareness so that the same mistake is not again. This personal human contact is what digital machines can never repeat. Therefore, the harassment of being completely paperless and human-interest should be balanced with the need for personal assistance.
This problem is even more serious for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. A survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Banking Studies in 2023 found that about 68% of rural women over the age of 40 have never used ATMs independently. Fear of being cheated, lack of formal education and hesitating to seek help from strangers depends on others financially. A bank with specially trained employees to serve such people not only becomes a service center, but becomes a safe place where honor and empowerment is retained.
Similarly, in tribal areas where banks are low and awareness is less, customers are often afraid of modern machines. During the epidemic of 2020–2022, when most of the banks moved on only-digital services, a large number of individuals lost access to their money due to fear and confusion of using ATMs or online apps. Only banks with kind, trained employees can remove this communication barrier and can ensure that every customer, irrespective of education, can get access to their savings.
In addition, educated employees are also better capable of identifying and preventing financial fraud, who are often victimized customers. Whether it is fake calls, OTP scams or fishing, these crimes make innocent and unknown people their victims. A responsible bank employee trained to detect unusual withdrawal patterns or confusion of customers during ATM operations can consume the user on time and also prevent further damage. Thus, education at the employee level does not only mean operating efficiency; This also means an increase in safety of customers.
Now the time has come for the Bank Board Bureau, Indian Banks Association and RBI to release nationwide counseling and demonstration standards, which require a minimum number of ‘inclusive service agents’ in each branch – such banking employees who are not only technically certified, but also conscious and linguistic adaptable to the community. Their role should be audited and customers’ reaction should be taken regularly. Banks should also encourage such employees by giving bonuses or respects to encourage more and more employees to take inclusive service roles seriously.
India cannot really become financially inclusive unless each bank creates its system on the foundation of human sympathy, education and community training. A fully educated employee system is not an alternative luxury; This is a significant requirement for millions of untrained persons for smooth operation of ATM services, credit and debit transactions. Without such a system, the goal of financial empowerment for Digital India and all will be incomplete. The bank is not just a place to store money – it is an institution that will have to bridge the gap between strong and marginalized people. Now the time has come to ensure that in this system every employee is educated not only in finance, but also in service, humanity and inclusion.
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