The reported move of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) to shift a major in-house facility from Kolkata to Lucknow has incurred employees’ wrath.

All India Nabard Employees Association (AINBEA) has protested the move to shift the Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC) from Salt Lake City, Kolkata to Lucknow.

LAND ALLOTTED

The Government of West Bengal had allotted more than an acre of prime land to Nabard in 1989 to set up this research centre, it said in a letter to Secretary, Financial Services.

This would be the powerhouse for database for natural resources for the entire eastern and northeastern parts of the country.

If not stopped on tracks, Nabard will further lose its focus at a time when the government is talking of ushering in a second green revolution’ in this part of the country, it added.

The AINBEA also took exception the move to close down a number of its district development manager offices all over the country.

Kerala would be worst-affected with closure of four such offices followed by number of others in some other backward districts of the country in states.

FARMER TROUBLE

These include West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This will put farmers into further difficulties, while compounding problems like financial inclusion for the masses.

Nabard has also cancelled recruitment of clerical staff as a result of the ‘repositioning’ exercise after holding an examination for the same.

This would affect the interest of SC, ST and OBC candidates in particular, as they were offered pre-recruitment training by Nabard to write the exam.

This has denied them of opportunity to serve this premier institution of the country, the AINBEA told the secretary, Financial Services.

>vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

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