Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 30: The banks of late are found to be lagging behind as far as providing service to customers in Kannada is concerned. Eighty percent of the bank employees recruited to banks after 2014 are from outside the state, according to a report in a leading daily. As they do not know how to communicate in Kannada, they transact with the customers only in English and Hindi. This has been taken note of by Kannada Development Authority. The authority had asked the banks to provide a report about this issue before December 15 but the banks were unable to furnish the figures by this deadline.

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At the national level, norms were changed in the banking recruitments after 2014. As per the new rule, those posted to other states have to learn the local language within six months of being employed there. Their probationary period ends and their services will be confirmed only if they learn the language within the first six months. Later, this rule was relaxed and they were given two years’ time to learn the language.

As per this rule those recruited in the banks in Karnataka have to be conversant with Kannada and they should be able to read and write in Kannada. But most of the employees bagged the jobs on the basis of merit but have ignored Kannada learning. The bank management too did not pay attention to the need to teach Kannada to the staff. This issue often comes up for discussion at the state level bankers committee meetings. The government has been telling the banks about the need to use Kannada in their dealings. On November 11, an important meeting led by Kannada Development Authority was held at Vidhana Soudha where Kannada implementation in appointments and administration was held in the light of Reserve Bank of India rules.

Chairman of the authority, Nagabharana, had expressed strong reservations about this attitude. He had asked the lead bank to provide figures of non- Kannadiga officers, how many of them have learnt Kannada and how many still do not know Kannada etc within 15 days. The lead bank coordinators had agreed to provide the details but so far they have not furnished the figures.

The authority says that during its visit to banks, they are shown forms printed in Kannada etc but these are not available to the people. The authority insists that the bank transactions should be in Kannada as they directly deal with the farmers. It has written to banks to relieve employees who have not learnt Kannada as per rules. It has asked the banks to teach Kannada to C and D class employees and if they do not learn, dismiss them from service.

Kannada Development Authority secretary, Dr K Murleedhar, said that the banks have not furnished details of Kannada knowing staff so far and that the authority will follow up the matter.