Acting on concerns raised by Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary has written to the BJD president regarding the alleged harassment faced by tribal man Jitu Munda at an Odisha Grameen Bank branch. The Department of Financial Services under the Union Finance Ministry has taken serious note of this incident and directed Regional Rural Banks to ensure compassionate and transparent service for vulnerable groups.
Jitu Munda visited the Odisha Grameen Bank branch in Malliposi with the remains of his sister after being asked for a death certificate and legal heir documents to process a death claim and withdraw funds from her account. This incident led to widespread outrage on social media, prompting calls for reforms in rural banking practices from the public and opposition parties.
In response to the uproar, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing his concerns. Minister Chaudhary, in turn, investigated the matter with Odisha Grameen Bank and clarified that the settlement process required specific documents due to the absence of a surviving nominee in the deceased depositor’s account.
Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, the Department of Financial Services emphasized the importance of implementing banking procedures with sensitivity and effective communication, especially in rural and tribal areas. The Odisha Grameen Bank took action by suspending the Branch Manager at the Malliposi branch and issuing directives for customer-friendly service delivery to prevent similar incidents in the future.
To enhance citizen-centric banking services and prevent such occurrences, an advisory was issued to all Regional Rural Banks, emphasizing responsive, compassionate, and transparent customer service, particularly for customers from rural, tribal, and vulnerable sections of society.
