Employ Kannada-knowing staff in banks: KDA chairperson

Bilimale writes to Deputy Commissioners of all districts asking them to hold meetings with financial institutions in their jurisdiction to ensure that local language is used in daily transactions

Kannada Development Authority chairperson Purushottam Bilimale has urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to ensure that employees in the banking sector who have direct customer interface should be people who can converse and transact in Kannada.

In an appeal to the Minister, he has taken exception to the “imposition of Hindi”, particularly in the South Indian States, and said that the disinterest of banking staff to interact with the customer in the local languages was harming the spirit of federalism, and particular as a person hailing from South India, Ms. Sitharaman should intervene in the matter.

“As a South Indian, I need not have to explain to you the needless Hindi imposition in Central government offices, banks and post offices located across our states. You, too, have been quite vocal in asking banks to review the staff of their communicative skills in local languages who are posted at branch levels. It was also very pleasing for us to know that you had instructed banks that the staff who could not communicate in the local languages should be kept away from customer-facing jobs,” he said in his letter.

“Two years down the line, there seems to be little difference in the ground reality. It is sad to hear many incidents of altercations happening between the rude staff and hapless customers,” he said, requesting her early intervention.

Mr. Bilimale has also written to Deputy Commissioners of all districts asking them to hold meetings with financial institutions in their jurisdiction to ensure that local language is used in daily transactions.

Published - October 14, 2024 11:38 pm IST