Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 27: State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda (BoB), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and several other public sector banks are open on Sunday, September 27, giving customers an additional opportunity to complete banking transactions ahead of the proposed three-day nationwide bank strike from September 28 to 30.
The special Sunday working arrangement applies to public sector banks (PSBs) and regional rural banks (RRBs), following a direction aimed at ensuring the availability of regular banking services before the proposed strike.
Customers requiring branch-based banking services can use the additional working day, subject to the operational arrangements and staffing at individual branches.
The decision to open PSBs and RRBs on Sunday followed a meeting held on September 21 involving officials from the Finance Ministry, PSBs, RRBs, the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and NABARD.
The move assumes significance as September 26 and 27 fall on Saturday and Sunday, with the proposed strike scheduled immediately after the weekend. Customers could otherwise have faced several consecutive days with limited access to physical branch services.
The Sunday opening has therefore been arranged to provide customers with an additional opportunity to complete important banking work before the strike.
The PSBs operating on Sunday include SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, PNB, Bank of India, Indian Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, UCO Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank.
The arrangement also covers 28 regional rural banks across the country. These are Andhra Pradesh Grameena Bank, Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank, Assam Gramin Bank, Bihar Gramin Bank, Chhattisgarh Gramin Bank, Gujarat Gramin Bank, Haryana Gramin Bank, Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank, Jharkhand Gramin Bank, Karnataka Grameena Bank, Kerala Grameena Bank, Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank, Maharashtra Gramin Bank, Manipur Rural Bank, Meghalaya Rural Bank, Mizoram Rural Bank, Nagaland Rural Bank, Odisha Grameen Bank, Puducherry Grama Bank, Punjab Gramin Bank, Rajasthan Gramin Bank, Tamil Nadu Grama Bank, Telangana Grameena Bank, Tripura Gramin Bank, Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank, Uttarakhand Gramin Bank and West Bengal Gramin Bank.
The special Sunday opening does not automatically apply to private sector banks.
The arrangement comes ahead of the proposed three-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and other bank unions from September 28 to September 30.