M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, July 9: The SBI has embarked upon an innovative outreach Ratri Choupal in Palamu wherein its battery of officers right from the regional manager down to the branch manager sit and interact with people in their own space and ambience. It is a journey from the glass panel branch of the SBI to the surroundings and environment of the ruralscape.
One such Ratri Choupal of the SBI was held at Baree village under the Satbarwa police station in Palamu last night where SBI has the agriculture development branch. The Baree Ratri Choupal was the first of the series of Ratri Choupals to be held.
Speaking to lagatar24.com today, the regional manager of the SBI Manoj Kumar Prasad said, “Our SBI management has launched the ‘Mera Gaon Mera Bank’ programme simultaneously in two states Bihar and Jharkhand. It is one step forward to connect to the people.”
Manoj went on to say that here at this maiden Ratri Choupal they asked people to have a sound CIBIL score as it will enable them to get a loan faster and easier.
“We told the modest gathering at the Ratri Choupal as to why it is so important to have a high CIBIL score as the higher the CIBIL score, the better are the chances of getting a loan,” he said.
“One villager stood up and asked for improving his bad CIBIL score. We told him poor CIBIL score is avoidable by just keeping the habit of making regular and timely repayment of the loans or borrowings taken. We told the villager to first close all his loans and then look for improving his financial credential,” Manoj added.
The regional manager agreed that banks hesitate and quite genuinely hesitate to loan credit risk person. Happy loaning is where happy repayment is.
The SBI here has around 1,000 borrowers who dilly-dally their repayments to the borrowings. The regional manager said, “We have been telling such defaulters to stand up and do repayment and then after some ‘cooling period’ they may try their luck for borrowing with honest intention and SBI will not drag its feet towards them.”
The regional manager reminded the borrowers that timely and regular repayment of borrowings helps them with a cut of 3 percent of the interest on the borrowings and it strengthens the financial ties between the lender the bank and the borrower.
At the choupal, a woman entrepreneur and a borrower of the SBI now running a poultry farm was also felicitated.
The SBI team spoke at length about various social security schemes for people at this Ratri Choupal. School bags were also given to around two dozen students present on the occasion. The SBI offered a water purifier to the Panchayat Sachivalay of Baree which was the venue of the Ratri Choupal.
The team also warned people about many a trick of cyber fraud asking people not to share any details of their banking. The regional manager said, “Our team asked people it is their mental alertness that will help abort cybercrime.”
Apart from this, ten tender age girls were given each of their ‘Sukanya Simridhi Yojna’ accounts where the opening balance amount of the account worth Rs 500 each was deposited in their names by SBI, informed the regional manager.
Although there were youngsters more than the elderly ones and women very few in numbers, the SBI team gave all ears and attention to the farmers of the areas and sanctioned on the spot some countable numbers of the KCC.
A plantation was also carried out by the SBI team after the Ratri Choupal. Sources said the SBI is making a foray into the financial discipline as well as trying to ready people to get linked to Nature by way of the plantations.
The SBI is the lead bank here in Palamu and it needs to further make its branches customers friendly. Many customers complain the branches refuse to accept coins at the counter but pushes in the coins for them.
The RBI has directed all its branches across the country to accept coins tendered at the counter either for exchange or for deposit but bankers sitting behind the glass panel give scornful eyes to the customers who so try to forward coins at the counter.
