Bank union urges more staff, security amid Ladki Bahin Scheme rollout

Additionally, some beneficiaries with defaulted accounts face restrictions that prevent them from accessing benefits, resulting in unrest and even violence at branches

An umbrella body representing at least nine bank unions on Sunday appealed to the Maharashtra government to increase the workforce and beef up security at branches to manage the customer rush as the government rolls out ‘Ladli Behin’ scheme.
 
The request was made by the United Forum of Bank Unions which has shot off a letter to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
 
According to the union, the implementation of a new scheme for underprivileged women is encountering difficulties at bank branches.
 
A major issue is the overwhelming demand for new savings bank accounts, which has led to long queues and customer frustration due to insufficient staff at branches.
 
This rush is worsened by the need for Aadhaar seeding for approximately 20 per cent of accounts, resulting in delays and customer dissatisfaction.
 
Further, many accounts initially opened under the Jandhan scheme have been converted to general savings accounts, accruing various charges such as minimum balance fees, SMS charges, and others.
 
These accumulated charges have reduced the balances of accounts receiving government credits, leading to anger among beneficiaries who expected to receive a specific amount.
 
Also, some beneficiaries with defaulted accounts face restrictions that prevent them from accessing benefits, resulting in unrest and even violence at branches.
 
These issues have resulted in chaos and unrest at the branches leading to quarrels between the beneficiaries and officials and at some places these customers have also turned violent with the counter staff of the bank facing harassment.
 
To address these issues, the union said that it is crucial to increase branch staffing and enhance security to manage the high customer volume effectively. Without these measures, the scheme’s intended benefits may be overshadowed by escalating dissatisfaction and negative outcomes.