Awareness of Rural Customers about Different Green Banking Services in Punjab, India

Environmental degradation has become the major concern nowadays being faced by mankind. The role of banks in energy saving and cutting emissions is well established in developed economies. Green banking is a vital step in this direction which enriches economic growth without compromising environmental health. Thus the present study was conducted to investigate the awareness regarding green banking services among rural customers. Two public banks (Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India) were selected randomly from five districts, i.e., Ludhiana, Mansa, Patiala, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, of Punjab state, India. From each district fifty customers from each bank were selected as respondents. Thus, from each district a sample of 100 respondents was selected. Total sample size for the study was 500. Data was collected through the interview of the respondents. The results of the study revealed that overall awareness was highest for ATM (95%), followed by debit card (90%), mobile banking (76%), net banking (69%) and credit cards (61%). Respondents fully aware about ATM services namely balance inquiry, cash withdrawal, cash deposit, getting cash receipt. The findings indicated that respondents were partially aware about credit cards and services related to credit cards as well as regarding debit cards and related services. Thus, the study suggests that there is a need to create awareness among rural customers about different green banking services.