The Hindu Business Line : Banking reforms meet on Saturday

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Mangalore Feb.15 The Corporation Bank Officers' Organisation (CBOO), which is affiliated to the All-India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), will conduct a symposium on `Whither reforms in banking?' in Mangalore on February 17. Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Mr T.R. Bhat, President of CBOO, said the symposium would include an interactive session with the members of the Independent Commission on Banking and Financial Policy (ICBFP).

Stating that the ICBFP released its report on the status of banking reforms in November 2006, he said the commission made a critical review of the impact of reforms in the financial sector and gave a blue print for an alternative banking policy.

While the long-term objective of such an alternative policy would be to raise the rate of growth and make it more broad-based, equitable and inclusive; the immediate concern should be to restore social banking as one of the means to deal with the agrarian distress facing the country and the farming community.

Two members of the commission - Dr S.L. Shetty, Director of EPW Research Foundation, Mumbai, and Dr N.K. Thingalaya, former Chairman and Managing Director of Syndicate Bank - will interact with the public in the programme, he said.

Mr B. Sambamurthy, Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank, will inaugurate the symposium.