Jammu: Jammu division of Northern Railway on Thursday signed an agreement with the State Bank of India (SBI) to expand the cash pickup facility to 18 additional railway stations, taking the total number of stations covered under the arrangement to 67, officials said.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening revenue security, streamlining cash management and reducing the workload on station staff, they said.
Under the agreement, SBI will collect cash from these railway stations and ensure its safe transportation and timely deposit with the bank, they added. The facility is expected to minimise the need for stations to retain large amounts of cash for extended periods, particularly at remote locations, they said.
Earlier, stations without the cash pickup facility had to retain accumulated revenue for several days, exposing the cash to security risks and placing additional responsibility on station managers and booking staff, they said.
The staff also faced challenges in transporting cash safely to banks, which could lead to delays in deposits and revenue accounting, they added.
With the expanded facility, the railways expects enhanced security of station revenue, greater transparency in financial accounting and faster cash management operations, they said.
The arrangement will also provide relief to frontline railway staff, enabling station managers and booking personnel to focus more on passenger services rather than cash transportation and bank deposits.
Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, said passenger safety and revenue security were the division’s top priorities.
“With this new MoU with the State Bank of India, not only will the cash handling process become more secure and transparent, but the workload of our frontline staff will also reduce. Stations that earlier faced risks in keeping cash will now have a secure arrangement. Our aim is to implement a modern and secure financial system at every station in Jammu Division,” he said.
The expansion is being seen as an important step towards adopting safer, more transparent and modern financial management practices across the Jammu railway network.