Letters: Consider separately

State Bank of India, the country’s largest bank, has decided to hike the minimum balance required for maintaining savings account from April 1, implying that non-maintenance will attract penalty.
 
It is necessary to understand that savings bank (SB) accounts are meant to park funds for short durations to enable customers to make withdrawals in case of exigencies. While banks are commercial entities and will look for sources to generate income for services rendered, yet certain categories of accounts like SB accounts should be considered separately.
 
Interest offered in SB accounts is relatively less. Therefore, a condition such as minimum average should not be imposed on SB accounts. If at all service charges have to be levied, they should be marginal. Srinivasan Umashankar  Nagpur