Date:30/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/30/stories/2006053002740600.htm

Back Plea for single RRB entity

Our Bureau

Hyderabad , May 29

The All India Regional Rural Bank Employees Association has demanded converting regional rural banks (RRBs) across the country into one seamless organisation of national stature exclusively for rural credit so as to fully tap upon the core competence of the RRB system.

Disclosing the demands of the RRB bank staff after a daylong meeting here on Sunday, the association General-Secretary, Mr Dilip Kumar Mukherjee, said the association was against piecemeal measures of the Government to form bigger RRBs under the same sponsor banks.

He said RRBs could be made more effective only by formation of a single entity for agriculture and rural development.

The association wants adequate authority to be granted to Nabard in the case of RRBs since only Nabard has been supervising and undertaking all the responsibilities for guiding, training, refinance and all other secretarial job for RRBs.

In a press release here, the association said though the banking industry implemented the Eighth Bipartite settlement in June last year , the Government was yet to implement the same fully in RRBs.

Further, in an unlawful manner, the Government had authorised the sponsor banks to deal with the matter as per their whims.

Though business has grown at least 15 times during the last 15 years, there was no manpower planning in the RRBs.

The association also demanded the introduction of automatic promotional scale after a fixed period and promotional cadre for the entire working force in the RRBs like any public sector banks.