Financial Inclusion and Development

Apropos the recommendations of the Committee on Customer Service in Banks (Damodaran Committee) pertaining to Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006 and the Rajya Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation, a Working Group (Chairperson: Smt. Suma Varma) has been constituted in the Reserve Bank of India to review, update, and revise the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006. This was revealed in the Annual Report of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2011-12 published here today by the Res

1. Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) will standardise most important terms and conditions (MITC) for at least ten important banking transactions and circulate among banks for adaptation. 2. Banks would initiate the process of providing one view of all bank accounts of a customer including deposits, loans, etc., with the help of available technology, such as, core banking solution. Banks would be complete the process within one year. 3. Banks would convey to the Reserve

A Reserve Bank of India Working Group has recommended the following new entities for appointment of Business Correspondents (BCs) for banks in rural and semi-urban areas: i) Individual kirana/medical/fair price shop owners ii) Individual Public Call Office (PCO) operators iii) Agents of Small Savings Schemes of Government of India/Insurance Companies iv) Individuals who own petrol pumps v) Retired teachers vi) Authorised functionaries of well run Self Help Groups (SHG

The Reserve Bank of India has widened the scope of its Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006, to include deficiencies arising out of internet banking. Under the amended Scheme, a customer would also be able to lodge a complaint against the bank for its non-adherence to the provisions of the fair practices code for lenders or the Code of Bank's Commitment to Customers issued by the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI). The BCSBI is an independent and autonomous w

The Reserve Bank of India today advised scheduled commercial banks (including Local Area Banks) to take necessary action towards implementation of the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme for farmers at the earliest. It has been further advised that implementation of the Scheme should be completed by June 30, 2008.It may be recalled that the Hon’ble Finance Minister, in his Budget Speech (paragraph 73) for 2008-09 had announced a debt waiver and debt relief

The Reserve Bank of India today constituted an Internal Working Group under the Chairmanship of Shri V.S.Das, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India, to Examine the Recommendations of the Radhakrishna Expert Group on Agricultural Indebtedness. The Internal Working Group would consist of members from various departments of Reserve Bank, viz., Rural Planning and Credit Department, Department of Banking Operations and Development, Department of Economic Analysis and P

Notwithstanding the policy initiatives taken by the Central Government, RBI and NABARD to facilitate hassle-free flow of credit from the institutional financial sector to the agricultural/rural sector, the Indian agriculture has been facing difficult times and the Indian farmers have been experiencing extreme distress. The spate of suicides by farmers in different parts of the country is a palpable manifestation of this unfortunate state of affairs. In order to addres

Bank customers can now appeal against the decision of the Banking Ombudsman where he has rejected the customer's complaint relating to matters falling within the grounds of complaints specified under the scheme. The Reserve Bank of India has amended the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 to enable the customers to appeal against the Banking Ombudsman's decision. The amendments are available on the RBI website. Before the scheme was amended, the bank customers could appeal

The Reserve Bank of India today constituted a Working Group to suggest measures to assist distressed farmers including provision of financial counselling services and introduction of a specific Credit Guarantee Scheme under the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC) Act for such farmers. The members of the Working Group will be: 1. Prof. S.S. Johl, Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board – Chairman 2. Dr. Y.S.P. Thorat, Chairman, Nation

The Reserve Bank of India today announced the revised Banking Ombudsman Scheme with enlarged scope to include customer complaints on certain new areas, such as, credit card complaints, deficiencies in providing the promised services even by banks' sales agents, levying service charges without prior notice to the customer and non adherence to the fair practices code as adopted by individual banks. Applicable to all commercial banks, regional rural banks and scheduled p