Conrad wants banking services in remote areas of state

Shillong,July 3: Chief Minister Conrad  Sangma wanted banking services to reach out to the remotest places of the state.

He said this while inaugurating the 31st annual general meeting of SBI Officers’ Association ( NE Circle), at U Soso Tham Auditorium, here on Sunday.

Recalling the role of Late P A Sangma in bringing the Regional Office of State Bank of India from Kolkata to Guwahati, he said that the banking sector is very crucial at the grassroots to ensure that different programmes are implemented efficiently.

“The different programmes of the state and the Central government make it mandatory for the beneficiaries to have bank accounts therefore it is very crucial that banks at the grassroots lare efficient for implementation of the programmes,” he said. “We have faced multiple challenges as a government because of the absence of banking sectors at the grassroots level in the implementation of various government programs,” he said.

“Both private and public sector banks provide banking services but banking is one part and service is another and we need to differentiate between these two and sometimes we tend to forget that we are here to serve the people and while giving that service we have to do so with care and passion,” he said.

He urged the gathering to make State Bank of India more vibrant by bringing in innovation, passion and care to the services that will bring a sense of satisfaction to the customers.

The chief minister also said the officers in the State Bank are in a position to make a difference in the banking sector by leveraging on the trust that people have in the State Bank of India.

“The State Bank of India has the capacity to become a top global bank and you have the opportunity to make a difference in your organisation by having a goal, a vision of making State Bank a global player,” he said to the gathering.

He observed that while discussing issues that public sector banks are facing it is also important to discuss ideas, innovations and ways that public sector banks can compete with any private sector banks.

“State Bank of India has such a brand name, so much of trust and experience, a large scale of network that it can take on anybody but it is the internal innovation and improvements in many areas is what needs to be thought about in such meetings and share with each other’s experiences,” he said.

The chief minister said in the North East, there are a lot of areas where there is no penetration of banking sector and hence urged the banks to work in collaboration with the state governments.

He also assured of all assistance and support from Meghalaya government to ensure that banking services reach out even to the remotest places of the state.