Region
Tripura CM condemns attempt to privatise Public Sector Banks; signs petition to PM
Dimapur, Sep. 10 (EMN): All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), having membership of around 3, 25,000 had its annual general meeting of AIBOC Tripura state unit on September 8 at the Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who also unveiled the book “Banking Sector Reforms- Policies which are Killing the Golden Goose” authored by Com D T Franco. The AIBOC Tripura state unit donated a sum of Rs 2 lac to the CM’s Relief Fund and handed over the replica cheque to the CM. This was informed in a press note by AIBOC general secretary D. T. Franco.
CM Sarkar detailed the house about the present socio-political scenario in the country, where our democratic rights are at stake. Even the right to speech is being rampantly attacked.
He expressed concerns about the rising inflations, unemployment, in-equality, farmers` suicide, devaluation of Rupee. He supported the Bank Officer’s movement and reiterated the significance of the PSUs for the overall development of our country.
He also condemned the Government’s agenda to weaken the PSUs in its attempt to hand over the stakes to the Corporate. He also raised concerns for the rising farmers’ suicide in the country. He asserted that the Bank Officers belong to the intellectual sections and they have a bigger role to play in forming public opinion and save our country from destruction.
Sarkar also signed the petition and thus participated in the signature campaign launched by AIBOC and addressed to the Prime Minister, it stated.
AIBOC member Soumya Datta detailed about the plans and tactics of the present government at the centre. “The present government is pro corporate and anti people and they are leaving no stone unturned to weaken the PSUs” stated Datta. He elaborated on the plight of the bank officers where the management and the government is only performance centric. However, in spite of all these, banks have to protest and forward our movement for a better tomorrow, stated the press note.
Also Datta requested the house to work hard and educate the masses about the importance of PSUs and the reasons to save them.
D T Franco in his address requested the house to share the Chief Minister’s speech with friends and colleagues. He assured the house that come what may he would not sign the bipartite settlement unless the following five issues are addressed and agreed to:
- Five-day banking
- Pending retirement benefits.
- Salary if not at par but comparable with Central Government employees.
- Modification in NPS
- Revision up to Scale VII and not up to Scale III
In line to this, it was stated that Franco urged upon the members to fight against the merger attempts of the government and requested the house to convince the customers to write letters to the PM opposing the merger and privatization moves of the Public Sector Banks. He therefore emphasised on People Parliament for Unity and Development to expand the horizon, involving every class of the society towards mobilization of mass support and requested the members to be more active and raise the voice for the sake of the existence of PSUs.