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Bank strike against merger hits services across Karnataka

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Bengaluru, Dec 26 (IANS) A day-long strike by the employees and officers of the state-run banks against the merger of three public sector banks (PSBs) paralysed services across Karnataka on Wednesday, a union official said.

“The response to our strike call is overwhelming as over 1 lakh employees in about 5,000 bank branches stayed away from work to protest against the merger of Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank and Bank of Baroda,” All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) General Secretary S.K. Srinivas told IANS here.

The strike, second in a week after December 21 strike for wage revision, affected all categories of customers, as no transaction could take place though bank branches were “officially” open for business.

“Though boards of the three banks approved the merger despite opposition by their employees, the strike is to express our solidarity with them as we are against denationalisation and privatisation of state-owned banks,” said Srinivas.

Defending the strike, the trade union leader said if the employees and officers do not protest against the merger of the three banks now, the government would be emboldened to merge the remaining PSBs and privatise them eventually.

“The 1969 bank nationalisation was to usher in mass banking in place of class banking, which benefit only the rich and corporates without priority lending and social commitment. This government is reversing the 50-year-old policy and undoing all that the state-run banks have done for the common man,” reiterated Srinivas.

In spite of opposition by employees, including offices, the government merged the associated banks of the State Bank of India (SBI) last year, setting a bad precedence though they were affiliated to it and the latter (SBI) had majority ownership, recalled Srinivasa, who is also the General Secretary of the SBI Officers’ Association.

“But the merger of SBI with its sister banks led to closure of hundreds of branches across the country in the name of rationalisation and optimisation of the workforce,” said Srinivas.

As banks were closed from Friday to Sunday and again on Tuesday for Christmas, clearance of cheques and drafts were affected with no inter or intra-banking transactions.

“As we are aware of the impact the strike would have on customers, we worked on Monday to ensure them our services,” added Srinivas.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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