Bankers hold extensive discussions to draw reform blueprint

To revitalise state-owned financial institutions, over 100 bankers and experts held extensive discussions here today at the bankers' retreat 'Gyan Sangam' to draw a reform blueprint to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.
In the first of its kind two-day retreat, which is being attended by PSU bank CMDs, top RBI functionaries and private sector experts, deliberated throughout the day on key issues and problems like rising NPAs, low credit offtake and mergers and acquisition in a bid to come out with solutions.
"All the groups have now started discussing. The discussions are engrossing. We hope that the discussions may continue right up to midnight," Financial Services Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told reporters.

The six separate groups on financial inclusion; leveraging technology; priority sector lending; risk management; strategy for public sector banks; and consolidation of PSBs will make presentations to Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
While addressing the participants, Adhia said the six groups should bring "key five doable suggestions from each theme area".
"By tomorrow morning in the plenary they should come out with their presentations," Adhia added.

Earlier in the day, global consultancy firm McKinsey gave presentations on international best practises, he said, adding India could adopt some of them to improve efficiency of banks.
Inaugurating the meeting, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said the bankers should provide suggestions which could lead the economy to 7-8 per cent sustainable and non-inflationary GDP growth.

The NDA government was both pro-poor and pro-business, he said, adding, "so the trade-off has to be managed by ensuring that the public sector banks are able to function commercially while financing the poor as well."
Among others, the Gyan Sangam is being attended by SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, Indian Bank's T M Bhasin, Bank of India chairperson V R Iyer, Corporation Bank CMD S R Bansal, IRDA Chairman T S Vijayan, PFRDA chairman Hemant Contractor and RBI Deputy Governors.
Jaitley and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan will participate in the deliberations tomorrow.