Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The central bank of Bangladesh asked commercial banks on Thursday to assign an official as focal person of each branch to make the banking services easier for physically challenged persons.

“We’ve taken the measures aiming to ensure banking services for the physically challenged persons across the country,” a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB), the country’s central bank, told BBN in Dhaka.

The BB official also said the central bank has taken the move, first of its kind, considering requirements of physically challenged persons. “Over 10 per cent of the total population in the country is physically challenged persons,” the official added.

The central bank issued a circular in this connection on Thursday and asked the chief executives and managing directors of the commercial banks to follow the instruction for ensuring banking services to the persons.

The government will enact a law to protect the rights of the disabled so that they can build up themselves as worthy citizen and can contribute to the society.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced this while inaugurating the 5th National Convention on Disabled in Dhaka on October 19 this year.

She also said a process is underway to preserve quota for the disabled in government services, including the civil service, to bring them in the mainstream of the country’s development.

BBN/SS/SI/AD-30October09-12:36 am (BST)