On compassionate appointments in Banks:

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A post with relevant details on another blog ‘Avenues’ was published to facilitate necessary followup by the grief stricken dependents of the deceased employees in banking industry on the 14th August’2014 necessary link in respect of which is given below for the information and the desired use by the needy spouse and other dependents:

http://uppermost.me/2014/08/14/compassionate-appointments-in-banks-reintroduced/

There was a large number of comments exchanged by the readers of the said blog post containing useful awareness in relation to the scheme. The purpose of referring the above link here is to extend the use of the guidelines contained therein by way of queries and answers to the readers of this blog also particularly those needing assistance on the compassionate appointment matters. The readers in general are requested to see to it that the relevant information positively reaches the needy ones as after all it is a noble cause.

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Scandalising non performing assets:

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The very term NPA (Non Performing Assets) quite often heard mainly with reference to different banks, both in public sector and private sector, looks just so plain on the face of it but factually it borders serious scandals financially and there are many a bankers who have used it as a tool for an organised corruption. CEOs of various banks have been too liberal with the borrowers in the matter of recovery of loans so granted to them which gesture is much beyond the normal professional requirements, they were in fact more obliged than accommodated need based in terms of the routine banking norms and the relevant guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India. What could be the reason behind these executives being so over liberal? Obviously their bonafides  are not above board. One Chairman of State Bank of India, the very predecessor to the present incumbent incharge, was smart enough to divert major chunk of NPAs to bad debts with the result that it showed an unprecedented loss to the Bank. Several other CEOs in number of other banks including Syndicate Bank did the same thing. Fishy deals like this are not the ones to be just taken lightly, they in fact warrant a large scale probe in the matter awarding necessary punishments to those found guilty.

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Banks can no more penalise customers just on minimum balance:

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Bankers in India have a practice of imposing penalty on the customers whose savings bank account balances go down the minimum balance level prescribed for the purpose. It is a sigh of relief for those customers whose savings bank account(s) balance is below the minimum prescribed after Reserve Bank of India issued the directions to do away with the penalty resorting to cutting down certain special services like cheque book instead. The directive so released reads like this:

• “Banks should not take undue advantage of customer difficulty or inattention. Instead of levying penal charges for non maintenance of minimum balance in ordinary savings bank accounts banks should limit services available on such accounts to those available to basic savings bank deposit account and restore the services when the balances improve to the minimum required level”.

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Again an increase in ATM charges:

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There is again an increase in the offing in ATM charges for the users as proposed by a bankers committee exclusively formed for the purpose. Even though there have been setbacks to several bankers on account of their huge NPAs they still had bigger profits overall but they continue having their eyes fixed on more and more profits every now and then increasing charges on different counts to be suffered by the clients. ATMs are now an area which have become the basic base of routine banking transactions for the common people and it is they who feel badly over taxed whenever transaction charges in their respect are increased. If there was even the least possible consideration for the common people, there was no case for proposing further increase in the charges in respect of ATMs at least.

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ATMs in banks are now MayBank ATMs:

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There are rapid improvements in the mode of cashless banking and with that purpose in view different banks in the country are resorting to remodelling their ATMs. These ATMs are now to work as MayBank ATMs attending to the need of deposits being made through them. Obviously with such a device having been added to the current machines this is surely to make the banking transactions more feasible for the customers. They may now have not to face the hardships of standing in the queue for hours together in different branches of various banks waiting for their turn to make deposits through their cheques. Similar arguments were given earlier when the automated teller machines were introduced but it didn’t result into reduction of the queues in the bank and may be the addition of cheque deposit machine (CDM) to existing ATMs does not procure the desired results. The reasons are obvious as the bankers are reducing their staff component day by day instead of recruiting new employees in the requisite manner. It is just utopian to think that machines may altogether replace the workforce. Machines are okay but to make them more compatible to the needs of the customers it is but essential that their intake be increased instead of slashing down the staff strength. Sufficient increase in workforce coupled with modernised machines may serve the interest of the customers in a bigger measure.

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Payments by cheques to be more secure effective from the New Year:

It’s a good news for the customers of different banks that their transactions through cheques shall now be more secure and feasible in terms of the new guide lines issued by the Reserve Bank of India. This arrangement is likely to be in practice with effect from 1st January’2013. To facilitate transaction in more safe a  manner, the new cheque book series will have to be used replacing the old one. Bankers have already started contacting their customer to apprise them of the new change. The new cheque books are to be supplied by the respective bankers free of cost to their customers on their home address. The customers who do not receive such cheque books, may have to collect the same from their bank concerned without any extra payment. These new cheque books are being issued in terms of Cheque Truncation System which ensures more of safety and security. The old cheques will not be accepted after 31st December’2012 and they will have to be readdressed. This system under the new scheme is also supposed to expedite payments presently done through clearing as the relative transaction shall be put through the same day. The collection of cheques through clearing system presently takes around a week’s time. As it looks now, the transaction through cheques is certainly likely to be feasibly convenient to the customers.

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Banks–another user friendly device on Mobiles:

Thanks to tough competition amongst the bankers as this is what forces them to mechanise one system after the other preceded by an otherwise large scale computerisation in almost all banks. The latest device so made available to the customers by them is in relation to quick access to their accounts through any mobile which step is certainly a matter of appreciation. What the account holders are required to do is to just dial *99# to get access to their respective account, know their balance, transfer funds or make a requisition for a new cheque book. The mechanism so applied through mobile phones is just simple and user friendly. Since the device is an universal one under USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) platform, it is capable of directly connecting to the concerned bank’s server when *99# is dialled on a mobile phone. The system so evolved is likely to get implemented shortly in all banks throughout the country.

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My book ‘Beyond the barriers’–a note on queries

My book named earlier as ‘Phoenix’ has since been changed to ‘Beyond the barriers’. The book is in publication stage by  my publishers at Varanasi duly monitored by Gyanendra. Certain anxieties have been expressed from many quarters in respect of the material the book contains which of course can’t be elaborated at this stage. May be I am able to partly share the contents by way of a synopsis shortly in days to come. Features wise, however, the salient areas so covered in the book, which is some what of an autobiographical nature, are more or less like this –At the outset, At a glance, Evolution of Banking system in India, Emergence of Trade Union(s) in Banking Industry, Trade Unions: Concepts and convictions, Trade Unions and Politics, Relevance of Trade Unions in the context of modern age, Price of leadership, On a personal note, Last page. I respect the queries and the requisitions so made by different people not only in the banking sector but also others from various quarters and I make a note to ensure that they are not deluded in their expectations. I also make a note that the book ‘Beyond the barriers’ comes out of the press as soon as possible to reach those who have already subscribed to it in advance and also the ones who have otherwise been expressing their keen interest in it.

Links:Brief chronology of events

           Evolution of banking system in India

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A brief chronology of events in Banking Industry/State Bank of India

Year Month Date Event 1720 Government Bank of Bombay established at Bombay (now Mumbai). 1770 Bank of Hindostan comes into existence at Calcutta (now Kolkata) as first to introduce its own paper money which of course was not recognized as legal tender 1786 General Bank of India formed. 1788 Carnatic Bank established at Madras (now Chennai). 1806 June 2 Bank of Calcutta established -It was later renamed as Bank of Bengal 1809 Jan 2 Bank of Calcutta becomes Bank of Bengal circulating their own currency notes as paper money to be accepted later on as valid legal tender for public transactions extending the status equally to other presidency banks viz. Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras. 1819 Aug 16 Massacre of Peterloo at St. Peters Field, Manchester, occurred killing large number of men and women who had joined a rally of workers. 1829 Aug 17 Union Bank established 1840 Apr 15 Bank of Bombay is established 1843 July 1 Bank of Madras is formed 1861 Paper Currency Act is passed 1865 Allahabad Bank is established.This was the first fully Indian owned Bank 1866 Presidency Banks at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras are granted the status of bankers to the Government of India. 1874 Alliance Bank of Simla is established 1876 Presidency Banks Act is passed. 1884 Oct A resolution demanding fixation of 8 hours of work in a day at the maximum was passed by Workers Organisation of America (WOA) 1886 May 1 Strike by workers of Chicago where merciless killings at a large scale took place. 1887 Nov 11 August Spice, who alongwith 3 other trade union leaders was hanged for trade union activities, said seconds before his death “…A day will come where our silence will be more louder than our words”. 1890 May Day (1st May) was internationalized. 1895 Punjab National Bank is established. 1906 Bank of India and Canara Bank come into existence. 1907 Indian Bank is established. 1911 Central Bank of India is established. 1919 ILO (International Labour Organisation) is formed. 1920 July 09 Imperial Bank of India Indian Staff Association is formed under the Benevolent Societies Act at Calcutta (now Kolkata). It was duly registered under Indian Trade Unions Act only on 24th May’1932. 1920 Oct 31 AITUC formed under Lala Lajpat Rai's presidentship at New Delhi 1921 Jan 27 Imperial Bank of India established by merging 3 Presidency Banks –Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras with their 70 offices/ branches throughout the country.. 1923 India falls in line in observing 1st May as May Day 1926 Indian Trade Unions Act comes into existence 1935 Reserve Bank of India established as Government of India’s Central Bank. Sir Osborne A. Smith, who was earlier one of the two Managing Directors of the Imperial Bank of India, was appointed as its first Governor. 1937 Indian Overseas Bank established –founder being M. Chidambaram Chettyar. 1946 Apr 20 All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) founded. This is as claimed by AIBEA itself but there is another version that it was established in September’1950 at Jullundur with Soumendranath Tagore, President, All India Imperial Bank of India Indian Staff Federation, elected as the first President and Dayal Das elected as the first General Secretary. In the next conference of AIBEA that followed on 4th March’1951 at New Delhi, G.G. Mehta of Bombay and Roshan Lal Malhotra of Imperial Bank of India Indian Staff Association, Jullundur, were elected as President and General Secretary respectively. 1946 Aug 01 First ever Strike in Imperial Bank of India by Imperial Bank of India Indian Staff Association continuing for 46 days. It was withdrawn on the 15th September’1946. 1946 Sep 26 Indian Banks Association (IBA) is formed at Bombay (now Mumbai) with 22 members which figure has since risen to 159 members. 1947 May 3 INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress) formed at New Delhi 1947 Oct All India Imperial Bank of India Indian Staff Federation (later named as All India State Bank of India Staff Federation) comes into existence. 1948 July 1 Industrial Finance Corporation of Indiia (IFCI) is set up. 1955 Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) forms its own trade union known as Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) 1955 July 1 State Bank of India is formed by replacing Imperial Bank of India. It becomes the first Bank in India to be nationalized. 1955 Dec 28 Pen down strike observed by State Bank of India employees in response to the call given by All India State Bank of India Staff Federation seeking modifications in Sastry Award. This was followed by strike on 6th and 7th January’1956. Mohanlal Majumdar, the then Secretary of the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation was arrested in Calcutta. 1956 Staff Welfare Scheme introduced by State Bank of India by allocating an amount of Rs.10 Lakhs as necessary measure to start with. 1958 New Delhi Local Head Office, a new Circle, opened by State Bank of India. 1959 State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act is passed enabling State Bank of India to take over 8 former State associated banks as its subsidiaries. 1960 Mar 21 National Industrial Tribunal, popularly known as Desai Award, constituted by Government of India. It was headed by Justice K.T. Desai. Published on 30th June’ 1962, the Award was implemented in two parts (1) with effect from 1/1/1962 and (2) with effect from 30/7/1962. 1960 Mar 7 All India indefinite strike in State bank Begins. Major demands included interim relief and payment of additional bonus for 2 ½ months with effect from 1956. It was called off on Federation Secretary Charles Coutto’s telegram ‘Acceptable solutions arrived’. Employees resumed duties on 25/3/1960 1964 Aug 1 Kanpur Local Head Office, a new Circle with 88 branches and 42 sub offices, opened by State Bank of India. 1964 Dec 1 Ahmedabad Local Head Office, a new Circle, opened by State Bank of India. 1965 Feb 1 Hyderabad Local Head Office, a new Circle with 61 branches and 41 sub offices, opened by State Bank of India. 1967 Dec 23 Social Control Bill introduced by the Finance Minister of India, Morarji Desai. The bill, by adding a clause as 36AD in Section 15 of the Banking Regulation Act, aimed at drastically curbing trade union activities of bank employees. 1968 Feb 28 Strike by employees in all the banks including State Bank of India in protest of Clause 36AD incorporated through Social Control Bill introduced by the Finance Minister of India, Morarji Desai. The strike was a tremendous success. 1969 July 19 Nationalisation of Banks -14 major Banks in India nationalized by the Government of India. 1970 Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is formed. 1971 Oct 01 State Bank of India’s Banyan Tree emblem changed to ‘Shoonya’ (Zero) as a result of personal initiative taken in the matter by the Bank’s Chairman R.K. Talwar. 1972 Jul 1 Patna Local Head Office, a new Circle, opened by State Bank of India. 1972 Jul 1 Bhopal Local Head Office, a new Circle, opened by State Bank of India. 1975 Jun 26 National Emergency promulgated in India by the Prime Minister of the country Indira Gandhi. 1975 Aug 15 Top leadership of All India State Bank of India Staff Federation met Indira Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, in the form of a delegation apprising her of the problems faced by the bank employees during National Emergency in the country. 1976 Jan State Bank of India joins IBA (Indian Banks Association) as its full fledged member. 1978 Apr 1 First Director of the Central Board of State Bank of India representing workmen appointed with Nirmal Chaudhary as the first incumbent. After his death in December’1982, he was replaced by M. R. Awasthi, the then President of AISBISF, who served as such for two terms. 1980 July 15 Nationalisation of Banks -6 other Banks in India nationalized by the Government of India. With this Government of India owned banking in the country rose to 91%. 1982 Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) formed. 1982 Nirmal Chaudhary, Secretary, AISBISF, falling sick, he hands over his charge to M.R. Awasthi as acting Secretary of the Federation at its headquarters at Kolkata. 1982 Dec Nirmal Chaudhary is no more. As decided by the affiliates of the AISBISF, M. R. Awasthi from Lucknow and P. Lakshmi Narasaiah from Hyderabad were authorized to jointly act as Spokesmen of the Federation as an interim measure. 1983 Oct 25 General Council Conference of the AISBISF is held at Patna unanimously electing M. R. Awasthi and P. Lakshmi Narasaiah respectively as President and Secretary of the Federation. 1985 Employees of Lal Imli (BIC) at Kanpur went on indefinite strike for 18 days demanding fixed working hours. They won the battle after local Court intervened. It was fixed hours of work with one day weekly off and half an hour as lunch recess. 1986 Nov 20 National Convention on Financial Institutions held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The convention was organized by Mohan Kumar Mangalam, a minister in the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet. 1993 Oct 29 Pension Scheme introduced in other banks (other than banks like State Bank of India) in terms of the settlement signed at the level of the industry. 1995 July 29 State Bank of India Staff Association (Bengal Association consisting of several states of North India) celebrates its Platinum Jubilee at Kolkata. 2005 June 2 8th Bipartite settlement concluded between IBA (Indian Banks Association) and NCBE/ AIBEA/ other unions. 2007 June 29 Government of India acquires the entire Reserve Bank of India shareholding in State Bank of India consisting of over 314 million equity shares at a total amount of over 355 billion rupees. 2010 Apr 27 9th Bipartite settlement concluded between IBA (Indian Banks Association) and NCBE/ AIBEA/ other unions providing an over all increase of 17.5% in employees wage structure. 2010 May 24 Payment of Gratuity Act (amended) made operative raising gratuity limit from 3.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs with effect from date.

There has been a demand by my readers of Evolution of Banking system in India to let them know more on the subject preferably in a chronological order and keeping such a requisition in mind I am adding some more details in the matter. In fact this extract has been taken by me from my book ‘Beyond the barriers’ (under publication). The table so reproduced is not that exhaustive but briefly covers the salient events occurring in the Banking industry/ State Bank of India, more so in the context of the relative trade union movement. There are certainly more of details worth quoting on the subject but they are avoided at the moment for want of space. I  may take them up in the next opportunity that comes my way for the purpose availing necessary chance in the matter.
Link:Evolution of Banking system in India
         A cursory look on pension in State Bank
         http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.in/2012/04/my-book-beyond-barriersa-note-on.html

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Pension issue in SBI–developments

There are queries continuously made from different quarters as to what is the latest in respect of pension case pending for a long time with Supreme Court of India. Nothing tangible has come out till now. There was nothing specific to emerge on the last 12th March the date fixed earlier for the purpose. Now that the case is posted for 2nd July’2012, let us see what transpires.

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Pensionery benefits in Banking Industry

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There was a time when there was nothing like any provision for pension to employees serving in Banking Industry during British rule in the country. The initiative on this count was taken during the three Presidency Banks -Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, Bank of Madras later implemented in the shape of contributory pension where employees, like in the case of Provident Fund, had to contribute towards their pension which used to get supplemented by the bankers forming pension fund. Unions taking up the matter strongly, it became a full fledged Pension Fund without employees contributing any thing and this measure was first of all adopted by State Bank of India (then Imperial Bank of India as it emerged after merger of the three presidency banks). All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, the single important most union in State Bank took further lead and several finishing touches were given to improve pension benefits. A demand was later made by other unions operating in other commercial banks to claiming parity with State Bank on pension. State Bank employees infact had in all three benefits together -Pension including Family Pension, Provident Fund and also Gratuity. As it operates now, the benefits more or less on this count are the same in all commercial banks with minor variations. Certain glaring anomalies in the system are a matter of dispute which includes demand for a more liberalised rate of pension for the retired employees. The issue however has till date failed elicit any tangible results. Talks, meetings,negotiations and then nothing like any result. The strike(s) that took place on this issue also failed to bring any outcome for the reason that it is not being followed up with an earnest seriousness the issue demands. Raising issue and then not following it in a required direction hardly succeeds and that is how it continues hanging in the balance.

A Diamond Jubilee sans a diamond jubilee

Recently I attended a Diamond Jubilee Conference of a national level trade union organization at Mumbai. It was a grand show continuing for almost the whole day. Every things was there –dance, drama, mimicry, caricaturing, martial arts. All this with grandeur and fantasy. It happened to be the last working day in service for the top man in the organization. A veteran,he spoke well ofcourse more in generality than on the heroic struggle his union had to face and fight in its formative stage right from early twenties of the last century and onwards. A prominent leader of theirs passed away a few days before these celebrations and there was an entry gate named after him and also a minute’s silence was observed as a ritual before the entertainments in the form of dazzling cultural programmes started on the stage. Beyond this, there was hardly, nay not at all, any mention of his or other great leaders who are no more. In a way there was nothing very surprising in it as the current incumbents in the setup have otherwise an image and reputation of obliviously ignoring the past, the very root of establishing a giant trade union organization in the days when it was too difficult a task under British rule in the country. More than any talk on trade union, it was overall a show with lavish outlays leaving even a capitalist far behind. Some one in the crowd remarked sab paise ka khel hai (it

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is all a show of money).

A senior management functionary was the star attraction in her capacity as the Chief Guest who obviously had to take full advantage of putting forth the managements view point on industry’s growth doubly cashing the opportunity –more so as it was from a trade union platform, a platform otherwise exclusively belonging to workers.

It was to my amazement to find that a trivially small statue of the pride of Maharashtra and one of the great heroes of the country Veer Shivaji was negligibly placed in a corner of the dais, dwarfed and miserably miniatured. I certainly felt somewhat uneasy on that count feeling reminded of a similar embarrassment when I visited Madam Tussauds in London to find Mahatma Gandhi’s wax figure disdainfully displayed in a forlorn corner of the museum isolating him from other giant size wax figures of the renowned world leaders. There I could reconcile with the thought that Britishers still take Indians including lndian leaders as their subjects and with that sort of a deep rooted prejudice their conduct was nothing very unusual but why people of Maharashtra could afford dwarfing Shivaji is something I am just unable to comprehend. A great warrior, a great leader, a great statesman as Veer Shivaji was, he is the one who deserves top rank order whenever his statue is tobe placed, more so in Maharashtra. As I distinctly remember, my friends, the leaders and the people of Mumbai, once felicitated me at quite a large scale and the very giant size bronze statue of the great Shivaji was prominently there on the stage to inspire and encourage both the leaders and the audience. Organisers being more or less the same on both the occasios, I am somewhat at a fix to draw any cogent reason behind any difference between the two.

The show was fully indicative of the hard labour the organizers and the volunteers might have put in to make the event a success and they do deserve laurels on this count. The event must have been much more a matter of glory if due coverage of trade union issues and industrial disputes in conjunction with historical background was there.

A note on Trade Unions!

Part 2:
They are the type in no way really interested in the welfare of their organization which they belong to –their one point programme is to cling to the post to the last unless kicked out and thrown in the streets in which event their all out endeavour is to drag the organization to shambles without being prepared to realize that this parting gift of theirs to their followers only leads them to a situation where one ignominiously mingles into dust unwept,unsung and unhonoured. It forms an interesting instance to quote one study about a trade union leader of national level in Banking Industry. Drastic measures as a result of National Emergency in the country in the year 1975 were there at their worst. He convened an emergency meeting of National Executive at New Delhi. This was the day when Bang Bandhu Mujibur Rahman of Bangla Desh was killed. The atmosphere in the country. The atmosphere in the capital was already so tense. The line of action adopted by the Government of India in curbing and crushing the trade union activities in the Country was no more a secret to any body. Definite instructions were issued to various Heads of different departments in the administration and other organizations both in public and private sectors that the union leaders be pinned to desk obviously with an idea to cause them biggest possible handicap in carrying out the union activities. The instructions so issued were meticulously implemented with some relaxation in regard to those belonging to INTUC. The proposal mooted out by another leader that all leaders should in the changed circumstances resign from from whatever post/position they were occupying as employees in the industry to serve the union exclusively didn’t find favoour with the top leaders who whipped their veto suggesting an alternative –the alternative that the coercive instructions of the Government be defied without leaders abandoning their jobs as employees. The key man who in his capacity as the top man in the executive in the union piloted the discussion was the one, nay the first one, to report for duty - he and the other one second in command rushed to their place of work for the purpose to every body’s amazement. They were wise enough to save their wages as against others who had to remain on leave without pay for a long time obeying the advice to defy the Government directives.
In yet another instance, the big leader practically started weaping to win over the sentiments of membership in general in a largely attended conference. After the session was over, he confided to a close associate of his telling that his tears were only a matter of strategy exercised to overcome a situation but for which he had to get embarrassed.
Tears are serene and sublime –only a hypocrite of first order can use them, nay misuse them, as a matter of trick and dodge. (tobe continued)

Phoenix...(6)

...Continued...

On a suggestion made by me to the top management of State Bank, they agreed to appoint a small committee to make necessary survey on computerization selecting New Delhi as a sample centre with State Bank’s New Delhi Main Branch as the venue. Survey started and instantly flopped as several important leaders from the then ruling party itself turned up as customers and opposed any kind of computerization tooth and nail. State Bank’s management was at a fix to find that their commitment to the Government on implementing computerization was collapsing.
Convened by the then Finance Minister of India V.P.Singh at the behest of the Prime Minister, a meeting took place at his North Block conference hall. Besides Finance Minister and top executive of Finance Ministry, this meeting was attended by all the heads of different banks in the country including the Chairman of Indian Banks Association. C.Rangrajan, then Dy Governor of Reserve Bank who was quite a talk of the banking industry on account of his report on computerization prepared and submitted to the Government earlier also attended representing Reserve Bank. Leaders from different Trade Unions in Banking Industry were equally the participants.Tarkeshwar Chakraborty from All India Bank Employees Association and myself from All India State Bank of India Staff Federation/National Confederation of Bank Employees took part in deliberations. Some thing like exchange of hot words occurred between me and C.Rangrajan when I was reacting to the paper on computerization he read out in the meeting emphasizing the need to take computers to the villages with a quantity target of bigger in number than post offices in the country.He got restive on my pointed question that whatever he said was just utopian and that talking from an ivory tower he was closing his eyes to reality –reality that there was a large scale discontentment against computerization throughout the country and that proper supply of electricity was nearly out of question in rural areas on the face of the fact that even in bigger towns the system failed to meet its shortage. There was some heated exchange of words between him and me when the Finance Minister, who knew me well from the days he was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, intervened.My suggestion that computerization in a country like India is possible only when it is taken up stage by stage as a matter of phases was fully endorsed by him. He also okayed my suggestion that on a vulnerable subject like computerization both the employees and the public must be taken into confidence before adhering to different stages of implementation without unilaterally forcing it on them. It was agreed and declared in the meeting itself that computerization be taken up and persued in phases by taking both the staff and the public into confidence.In a way it was a positive outcome and I was greeted by many who attended the conference.
Securing an edge against till then obtaining rigid approach on the part of the administration both in Banks and the Government who opted to get dead set on forcing computerization into system was certainly a big event in itself but I was fully conscious of the fact that lot many problems were yet to surface when implementation stage takes off. I shared my concern with my colleagues and also the management of State Bank....Continued

Phoenix... [5]

Contd....
Crucial areas of conflict:
Computerisation –Unfettered right to Banks?
Computerisation in Banking Industry, more so in State Bank, is a big story in itself.Computers made an entry in Banking Industry through State Bank in mid sixties before which they were merely a topic of academic talks without any thing substantial in practice. By mid seventies it started gaining momentum and by eighties they were in operation in full swing. During Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister of India, computer was a priority subject. He himself was well conversant on computers having a keen interest and a great aptitude for their operation. There were two reasons for this –one that he appeared on political scene as a champion representing the youth of the country and to attract them more votes wise he was hankering to go for some thing dynamic on technological front keeping in mind in the meantime that it was a most powerful tool to herald a new era of progress and development distinguishing him enormously as against an old and outmoded leadership then obtaining at the national level in the country –the other reason had its roots in nationalization of Banks in 1969 by his great mother Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister. Catching up on the popular slogan that Banks in majority were in the hands of Rajas and Maharajas or big bullies in business who failed to serve the common people in the country, Indira Gandhi took a drastic measure nationalizing 14 major banks which act on her part was capable enough to bring her laurels and more of popularity in public. Rajiv Gandhi too was for a popular footage on the similar pattern picking up the Banks again as an easily available choice for the purpose identifying them as the base for it. Management in different banks in general and that of State Bank in particular has the tradition of jumping to joining as the first one in the que to appease the Government on all counts and there could hardly ever be a ‘some body’ to raise any voice of protest howsoever illogical, untimely and problematic was the direction so issued. Masters directions from Delhi were over hurriedly adhered to by the bankers placing computerization as their priority number one task on their agenda. It was ofcourse a different matter that the priority task failed to elicit a required response at the implementation level for the reason that bankers refused to take a notice of the fact that projects like this warranted a large scale mobilization and awareness generation amongst staff and public in general to make the scheme acceptable to them. ...Contd...

Phoenix ...[4]

They took advantage of my weak moments: .....Continued...

My wife Shashi was seriously sick after she had to undergo three operations successively for Glycoma at Kanpur, Lucknow and New Delhi with treatment at Shankar Netralaya at Chennai. Last she was at AIIMS where too the operation could not be a success and her condition continued to deteriorate. This was the time I was under a tremendous tension but didn’t abandon sticking to my otherwise hectic schedules often leaving the hospital early in the morning attending talks at different stations and returning by midnight.In one instance I remember having left the hospital around 4.30am to catch flight for Bombay at 6am, attend a meeting at Central Office, leaving for Bhubaneshwar to deal with certain crucial matters locally after which there was no flight for Delhi. As an only alternative, I could get a delayed flight for Kolkata wherefrom I flew to Delhi by a late night International flight and by the time I reached the hospital it was past midnight -2.30 am to find that my wife was in too serious a condition due to post surgery complications.I had actually no dearth of sympathizers and well wishers to look after my wife but my presence by her side did count most which I couldn’t make despite best possible efforts on my part obviously due to my hectic schedules and this is some thing for which I can never pardon myself the whole life. My wife is no more. I do suffer from the pangs of seclusion, I do feel like languishing in her absence and much more I suffer from the guilt that I did default in giving her the amount of my presence she needed most when she was struggling for life. Besides V.K.Gupta and his wife alongwith Bhojraj Sharma who were all the time just a call away for any help and nursing taking care of my wife in most committed a manner, there were others too who felt much concerned with the turmoil I was undergoing. The one person who unfailingly called on her daily was Janki Ballabh, the then GMO, Delhi Circle and later the Chairman of State Bank of India. He meticulously monitored personally to ensure that all required facilities and attendance were all the time available to her without an iota of any lapse any where. I did make a note of it that whatever service he rendered or whatever care he took was not just because I was a top man in All India State Bank of India Staff Federation nor as I was a Director in Central Board of State Bank –it was because he was a close friend of mine –a friend indeed, a friend in need.

As against this there was a coterie too that was hell bent on using my plight to suit their connivance of ousting me from the scene at the apex altogether. The major tool used while hatching the plan being that I was to fall due for retirement from Bank’s service and that no retired person should be allowed to continue in the Union/Federation after he ceases to be in active service. A large scale lobbying on that count was done at a major scale throughout the country simultaneously applying pressure on the Bank’s management and equally the Government. Obviously my otherwise unblemished image was the target and it was hit hard with the coined publicity that I was too lusty a chap and that I was greedy enough to continue in the Organisation even after my retirement. Most conveniently they forgot that on numerous occasions in course of fighting with the management and on the face of the fact that there was always a potential danger of the management/Government taking stern action against me including dismissal from service, I kept my letter of resignation handy in my pocket for submission to Bank before they could remove me from service to demoralize the rank and file in the organization. Such a resignation letter was more particularly all the time in my pocket during Emergency when I had to release a circular to the membership in general that in the event of any drastic action against me they should not at all feel demoralized and take the action in a fighting spirit instead.

Fighting with the management/Government and several set backs caused to me in course of it never diminished my spirits the least, I rather felt more emboldened every time there was an attack on me, every time I was victimized, every time I was dragged into situations alarmingly full of graver consequences. Nothing dismayed me nor any thing could ever compel me to return to a normal life, a normal family life –the common normal choice of every body, compromising the cause I was fighting for my people. At times mainly during Emergency I was on loss of pay for several months as credit balance in my leave account was out of question due to organizational activities and the management was not prepared to give me leave for a day even. My convictions gave me confidence. But a Juleus Caeser in me fell down when attacked by my own friends –a Brutus, an Othello, a coterie.

Infact this was the stage when I really felt caught unawares paying heavily for the convictions I always held uppermost in my life and scheme of things. One of such convictions to which I always stuck was that only those be in the fray to manage a movement who possess necessary skill and capacity to work and not the invalids and that merely because some one ceases to be in active employment he should not be off organizationally. This was awefully twisted calling me names deliberately forgetting the fact that since several years back I was for it. The membership was heavily brainwashed to ignore a big number of senior office bearers who continued in the organization for quite a time after they were no more in active employment. I was hurt, felt shattered and took a decision to quit immediately which ofcourse I failed to do succumbing to stiff resistance from my supporters. (tobe continued)

I do honour their Indent..

Writing on any thing is too cumbersome a task, more so on subjects like Banking, Trade Unions and one’s own life. Cursorily and at times seriously too I have been writing volumes as a free lancer with my articles published globally online. There has been quite an amount of pressure on me for a long time to write some book on my experiments while serving in Banking Industry specifically in the context of my role as an apex level trade union leader with national/ international coverage on workforce angle. The indents so pressurized however couldn’t go beyond a bald requisition sans a tangible functionality. Obviously I was just unable to harness myself to such a project as my overdraft limit with the Bank already stood too squeezed in till now maintaining a small office to persue and followup my own writings and study. Convinced fully that it was worth and the need too to work on this project, my incapacitation resource wise stood in the way. Just some time back a close friend of mine Mr S A Farooqi indicated to me his plan to write on his experiences while serving State Bank as a senior executive. In his capacity as a brilliant functionary and a master mind behind State Bank affairs he is undoubtedly capable of writing elaborately worth a reading on banking. He can equally write much enough on his dealings with trade unions in his capacity as a master spokesman of the Bank on staff matters. I wished him all the best realizing in the meantime that , belong as he does committedly with heart and soul to management rung of the banking system, his focus is to be directed more to managerial areas and not so much the unions. I know some of the writers earlier belonging to Indian Banks Association who did cover the role of unions in their work but tune and tenor wise it was nothing more than strategies to keep off the ‘necessary evil’. Farooqi is the one who has been exceptionally popular in his dealing with industrial matters and has a big friends circle not only in the management but amongst members of staff too. He has two types of friendship –the one with a bond of sincere commitment and the other one just as a measure of sheer strategy to woo the other side. Many a people fell victim to such a master stroke of his without ever knowing the artist behind. In both the kinds of friendship he played his role in quite a calculatedly dexterous manner. He represents a class –the management. Class apart I earnestly wish him to complete his book.
Notwithstanding this, I still thought of writing some thing based on the situations as I saw them and experienced which idea got almost drowned but for the support extended to me by Awadhesh Pandey, himself a committed trade union leader of repute, to manage the resource himself and by mobilizing the like minded people for the project.requesting me most enthusiastically not to abandon the project and persue it to a logical end instead.
The way Awadhesh Pandey has so enthusiastically taken the lead of a tangible order himself and on behalf of his team coupled with a large number of requisitions made to me by the like minded people throughout the country, I just can’t afford saying ‘no’ and feel duty bound to undertake the Herculean task with whatever the odds. I do honour the Indent, I get harnessed to the task. I solicit the support and cooperation from all my friends and wellwishers.

This post is dedicated to Awadhesh Pandey

Down the memory lane !

It’s about the past –glorious, sublime and eventful , the past that is very much supposed to include the present as it is the present only that becomes the past with on time making a crawl between the two. I fondly ventured to harness myself to the task of giving visibility to the history of SBISA/ AISBISF – the history which has been till now confined to mouth to mouth carry forwards only ofcourse with certain exceptions by way of some writings or the other through occasional souvenirs. Another exception is the book ‘MOMENTOUS MOVEMENT –Glimpses’ by V.Ganesan, a veteran trade union leader of eminence from State Bank. I feel so humble to afford any audacity of supplanting whatever has been written in whatever form till now by my predecessor writers –my attempt to bring forth some more facts to light may at the most supplement the literature available till now making various narratives a subject matter of a composite study.May be the current project in hand acts as a link to my ‘PHOENIX’ which I have been posting on line as a serial. This writeup is on an autobiographical tone of which 3 episodes are already published online which are accessible through my sites like http://neelkanth.wordpress.com/ or http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.com/ or other ones traceable with tag search e.g. phoenix, banks, sbi. Phoenix and the project in hand is to be either clubbed together or concluded separately.With a view to secure a meaningful cooperation, assistance and contribution from different quarters aimed at giving the project a tangible shape, I propose to contact people who count for the purpose and those visiting this site of mine are requested to furnish to me whatever information, record or event down the memory lane they have alongwith photographs if available enabling me to use the same for the book. In this very context , I wrote to the top incumbent incharge, SBISA (Bengal Circle) Com. Ashok Dutta, himself a great advocate of preserving the legacy of the organisation with utmost grace. The text is reproduced as follows as the contents contained therein are meant for all those who have some slightest possible semblance of concern for SBISA/ AISBISF:

Hope all is fine at your end. This communication is for a purpose. Infact I had a craving all along to prepare a suitable writeup on the history of SBISA/ Federation highlighting the pivotal role played by the individual stalwarts of the organization with its basic roots in Kolkata. This gigantic task is virtually so onerous both from the amount of labour involved angle and also the angle of financial resource. Labour angle I can and am prepared to put in but feel handicapped in mustering the necessary financial resource for the project and it is this incapacitation on my part that withholds the much needed take off in the required direction. Visibly nothing in sight, I am still not for giving up nor am I prepared to abandon the project. Supported by none till now joining me for the mission, I wish to myself to secure some avenues or the other to foster the implementation of my dream project without knowing where to land. As an humble beginning in a frugal order, I am to pick up some of the giant figures who themselves became a history the way they built up this organization and I as one would never like to obliviously ignore their entity as that of nullity. You owe my thanks if you are able to send me a printable photograph of Mohan Da alongwith that of Bodi, certain memorable events connected to him/them which you take as topmost, Nirmal Da alongwith his wife and whatever could be available traces of Soumendranath Tagore. My blogs are globally published online and I would like to serialize the mention of these doyans followed by others afterwads through these blogposts tobe given a compiled shape later. Depending on your response to the requisition I have so made, I shall be bothering you further for some information or the other placing the requisite indent from time to time. I don’t know what is the level and extent of Internet usage by you on your computer which can otherwise be compatibly convenient in sending the above information to me. You can send it through your email also. You can also load the required information online directing it to me or you can let me know the site and I can easily import it to my computer. If you otherwise have any interest in online blogs, you may please go through one of my web sites link of which is given below. Posts in these blogs are by way of free lance journalistic pursuit but it is quite easy to sort out the writings on organization and banks through tags ignoring various kinds of topics on different scenarios and media based issues. Thanks.

Phoenix [3] ...contd

Third in sequence, this one is a running narrative with reference to activities of SBISA/ AISBISF, the operating trade union organisations in State Bank of India.

CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING -SBISA:

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Central Committe, a top forum of SBISA, in its meeting held at Brindaban on the 19th November’94, took several important decisions on crucial matters including supercession of Circle Committee in Delhi Circle replacing it by an Ad-hoc Committee and my election as an Honorary member with effect from 1st February’95 (my date of retirement from active service of the Bank being 31st January’95). The Ad-hoc Committee so appointed consisted of 78 members with S/s. PP Trikha and VK Gupta as Convenor and Joint Convenor respectively. Not happy with the definite decisions so taken, a splinter group within SBISA itself operating at Calcutta chose to go to Calcutta High Court against the Central Committee -so strange and peculiar an instance of a Circle Unit of SBISA working against its apex, the Central Committee. It was Shyamal Kumar Sen Vs State Bank of India Staff Association. Shyamal Kumar Sen being the Circle President of SBISA,Calcutta Circle. After prolonged hearings, their case was rejected outright by the Hon’ble High Court fully upholding not only the decisions of the Central Committee but also the relative areas emerging out of the decisions taken by the General Council of SBISA in their Conference held at Kanpur on the 16th October’94. To recall with a view to cursorily have a glance over the proceedings, an extract from the Chief Secretary’s Circular dated 14th August’95 is reproduced:

“........Meeting of 19th November’94 at Brindaban was a well attended Central Committee despite a campaign launched against it by some of the office bearers in certain circles. Suffer as they did from a severe disgust on failure of their ill designed move to torpedo the legitimate functioning of this Organisation, some of these very office bearers, a limited few so far as the overall strength of the Central Committee is concerned, unduly aspired to see that ultimately their “say” is to materialise as against the will of the representatives in general who took conscious decisions after threadbare deliberations on different items on agenda at the level of the Central/Central Working Committee. One way to satisfy the element of hostility was to compromise the decisions of full Central Committee against the whims and fancies of certain individuals which could have just shattered the very fabric of democratic system in the Organisation. These very elements are the same who did not hesitate to bargain the autonomy of a giant organisation like SBISA in pursuit of their selfish goal going to the extent of inviting intruders to pollute its sanctity..........”

The Conference of SBISA held at Kanpur on the 16th October’1994 was a land mark in itself and it took several crucial decisions.When disputed by an individual or two with an adverse agenda in their mind, the Hon’ble High Court at Kolkata upheld all the decisions of the Central Committee in toto and this in itself was a historical factor. Deliberations during trial of the case in the Court and off the scene make an interesting reading in many ways. The petitioners who filed the writ against the Central Committee of SBISA quite succeeded in prejudicing the Court against me through their leading advocates to the extent that the Judge openly used to talk ill of me when addressing my advocates with a definite message to ridicule me. One such remark was “Look, your client is a big bully and too powerful a person, has got guts to disregard this Court. Your client had the audacity to tear the order of this Court to pieces. Infact this is how the lawyers from the opposite side repeatedly projected my image in the Court with cock and bull stories to manage necessary bias against me. On one such occasion I felt like giving an immediate reaction to such remarks arguing the position myself knowing fully well that it was to incur the wrath of the Court resulting into contempt proceedings against me but I saw a feeling of fear writ large on the faces of my lawyers who virtually corckedup my mouth with their palms in full view of the Justice himself. My lawers assured me to apprise the Court of the correct picture in the matter as against a most distorted version of it given by the opposite side. Reconciling, I stopped continuing after a few words.Next hearing onwards it was altogether a reversed scenario….. (to be continued)