Make Kannada proficiency part of service records of non-Kannada bank employees, says Udupi ZP CEO

Udupi Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Y. Naveen Bhat recently directed banks in the district to ensure non-Kannada speaking personnel learn Kannada and that their performance in Kannada tests be made part of their annual service record

Udupi Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Y. Naveen Bhat recently directed banks in the district to ensure non-Kannada speaking personnel learn Kannada and that their performance in Kannada tests be made part of their annual service record.

Chairing the district level bankers committee meeting at the ZP auditorium in Udupi, Dr. Bhat said compulsory Kannada learning proposal for non-Kannada personnel should be sent to the State-level bankers’ committee. Customers have been facing severe hardship to conduct their business in banks because of non-Kannada speaking personnel, he said.

The CEO also directed banks to launch an awareness campaign about online frauds across the district, particularly in rural areas. People should be told not to share the OTP, to lodge immediate complaint after being defrauded, etc, he said.

Dr. Bhat directed the formation of a cell headed by the Lead Bank manager to vet loan applications from people belonging to SC/ST communities as there were numerous complaints of rejection of their applications in banks.

Dr. Bhat said there was 3.8% increase in the credit-to-deposit ratio in the district and urged all banks to reach their targets.

Reserve Bank of India’s Assistant General Manager Thanu Nanjappa said the CD ratio of some banks was too low in some banks and told to expand credit disbursal to all fields. Canara Banks’ Regional Manager Leena Pinto said banks in the district collected ₹31,045 crore deposits registering 10.7% growth in the third quarter and disbursed ₹14,660 crore loan registering 12.61% growth. The CD ratio in the district was 47.22%, she said.

NABARD’s AGM Sangeetha Kartha, regional managers of Canara, Union and KVG Banks Kali, Vasappa, and Suryanarayana, Lead Bank Manager Pinjara, and others were present.