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March Closing Pressure: RRB Employees Face Heat to Meet Social Security Enrollment Targets
RRB employees face mounting pressure during March closing to meet social security enrollment targets. Understaffed branches struggle to cope with daily quotas, raising concerns about ethical practices and employee welfare.
Author: Saurav Kumar
Published: March 26, 2025
Amid the ongoing March closing pressure, Regional Rural Bank (RRB) employees are facing heightened stress to meet ambitious targets for enrolling customers in social security schemes. Several RRBs, including Utkal Grameen Bank (UGB), are intensifying efforts to achieve enrollment targets under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY).
Pressure to Enroll Customers
Employees across various RRBs are experiencing direct pressure from their Regional Offices to open a large number of social security accounts daily. In Utkal Grameen Bank, the Berhampur region (Ganjam district, Odisha) has reportedly been under severe stress.
An employee from UGB told Kanal, “Every region is under pressure, but the most affected is the Berhampur region. Every day, Regional Office staff call Branch Managers to ask how many accounts we plan to open today.”
Under-Staffed Branches Pressurised to Open Accounts
Many branches, particularly those operating with minimal staff, face the brunt of these directives. An UGB employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the intense workload on under-staffed branches and said, “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts are being forced upon us. We are directed to open 130 to 150 accounts daily despite the existing set of regular banking tasks.”
He further voiced concerns about the ethical implications of the pressure: “The sad part is that many branches are complying with these demands. Managing to open 130 to 140 accounts daily is beyond anyone’s guess. Most branches in the Berhampur region are operated by only two staff members.”
Additional Pressure across RRBs
The pressure is not limited to Utkal Grameen Bank alone. In a few more RRBs, employees have also received strict directives to achieve specific enrollment figures. As per the directive in RRBs, branches are required to enroll at least 100 customers under PMSBY and 50 under PMJJBY during the designated login days. And under-performing branches face warnings and additional scrutiny from higher authorities.
As the financial year-end approaches, the relentless push for social security enrollments underscores the growing strain on RRB employees. Without addressing staffing shortages and ethical concerns, such pressures may continue to burden rural bankers.