Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank Karmchari Sangh Celebrates Golden Jubilee of RRBs

The Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank Karmchari Sangh organised the Golden Jubilee Year Celebration of Regional Rural Banks(RRBs) at Hotel Dayal International, Sakchi, Jamshedpur on December 14, 2024. Chief guest MLA Saryu Rai inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. In his address, he praised Jharkhand State Gramin Bank's contribution to the state’s development, emphasizing its role in economically empowering farmers and laborers in rural areas.

Image - The speakers on stage. Courtesy - Nitesh Mishra

General Secretary of the association, Nitesh Mishra said “The Golden Jubilee is being celebrated from October 2, 2024, to October 2, 2025, marking 50 years of RRBs' establishment. Through seminars and public events, we aim to highlight the significance of RRBs, which currently serve over 40 crore customers across the country. Our primary demand is the creation of an Indian National Rural Bank at the national level, following the concept of ‘one state, one rural bank.”

Mr. Mishra further informed the gathering about RRBs' extensive outreach: providing services to more than 40 crore customers across 23 states, 3 union territories, 705 districts, and over 22,000 branches nationwide.

Dr. Kaushik Mallik, Chairman of Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank Karmchari Sangh (JRGBKS), reiterated the vision of AIRRBEA's founding leader,  Dilip Mukherjee, to establish a unified rural banking system under the "one state, one bank" model.

State Development Bank Employees Association (SDBEA) President, Sujoy Rai highlighted critical challenges faced by RRBs, including severe staff shortages and inadequate internet connectivity. Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank Manager Deepak Beura called for a review of the transfer policy for rural banks, addressing concerns regarding employee management in remote areas.

Key Appointments Announced:
During the event, several executive positions within the association were filled:

• Rahul Tiwari was appointed Vice President of Singhbhum region.
• Sarvottam Thakur was appointed Vice President of Godda region.
• Shitanshu Akshay Marandi became Vice President for Hazaribagh region.
• Firdosh was nominated as Organizing Secretary.

Other notable attendees included Manoj Kumar Singh, Sujay Rai, Deepak Beura, and Ranjit Kumar, among others.

Golden Jubilee Amidst Amalgamation Discussions

This celebration comes at a pivotal time when the government’s “one state, one RRB” amalgamation process is gaining momentum. Under this policy, multiple RRBs within a state may be consolidated into a single entity. States like Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Madhya Pradesh have already conducted similar golden jubilee events in this context, while several others are planning their programs

[ Courtesy - Nitesh Mishra from the Jharkhand Rajya Gramin Bank Karmchari Sangh provided the details about this event. Translation assistance was provided by Rushi Bhatt.]