Letter to BS: FM's promise to bankers will make them work without fear

This refers to Sukumar Mukhopadhyay’s letter “Fear exaggerated” (December 31). Agree, a small number of “slothful and corrupt fellows” exist in every organisation, including government departments. Officials of public sector banks can take any amount of “work pressure” and “transfer threats” in their stride, as occupational hazards. They are expected to lend, after gauging the borrowers’ intent, in addition to their capacity to repay. What, however, takes a heavy toll of their reserves is the extraneous pressure, which emboldens some borrowers to even go to the extent of assaulting them. And now, there is pressure on bankers to lend to spur the nation’s GDP growth.

It is against this backdrop that the present finance minister’s assurance that “bankers taking bonafide lending decisions will not be harassed by the investigating agencies” is to be welcomed. Hopefully, the assurances would lead to bank officials working without fear, or favour, the New Year onwards.

V Jayaraman  Chennai

Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to: 

The Editor, Business Standard

Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg 

New Delhi 110 002 

Fax: (011) 23720201  •  

E-mail: letters@bsmail.in

All letters must have a postal address and telephone number