BS People: G D Nadaf

Union jack

In 1969, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi nationalised a slew of banks. The same year at a school in Dharwad G D Nadaf was elected ‘prime minister’ in a mock parliament. It’s been a long journey since then for Nadaf, who was appointed by State Bank of India (SBI) to its central board of directors as an officer-employee representative earlier this month.

The 58-year old trade union leader for three decades is currently general-secretary of the All-India Bank Officers’ Confederation and All-India State Bank Officers’ Federation. He plans to raise issues regarding pension, regulation of working hours and introduction of a five-day week for bank officers, among other issues, as a member of the board. His was one of the three names recommended by the union to SBI, which in turn obtained clearances from various ministries before getting final approval from the appointments committee of the Cabinet.

A fan of legendary actor Dilip Kumar and Bangalore’s rage Raj Kumar, Nadaf also participates in dramas organised by groups at the bank, he revealed. Fond of old Hindi songs and Carnatic music, he also pitches in to help create awareness on diabetes as general-secretary of the Diabetes Confederation of India.

Currently a deputy manager at State Bank of India’s local head office at Bangalore, Nadaf started as a cashier at SBI in Belgaum district of Karnataka in 1972. He added to his qualifications while working by passing examinations conducted by the Indian Institute of Bankers and is a post-graduate diploma-holder in human resource management.

Nadaf says his achievements as the general-secretary of the All-India Bank Officers’ Confederation in 2008 included negotiating a salary revision and widening the options for officers’ provident fund schemes. Indian public sector banks must not be privatised and should be allowed to retain their public sector status, says Nadaf. Clearly, Gandhi’s nationalisation of banks those many years ago left a deep impact on the Dharwad schoolboy.