RRB Staff Allege Mounting Pressure and Shrinking Compliance to Meet Social Security Scheme Targets

While bank managements continue to present these drives as awareness and financial inclusion efforts, the structured use of performance targets, incentive scorecards, and public recognition systems suggest a deeper shift toward a sales-driven approach. Many employees fear this is undermining RRBs’ foundational purpose as community-based rural banks.

Uttarakhand Gramin Bank Hitting Daily Insurance Quotas

A look at Uttarakhand Gramin Bank shows how scheme enrollment is now being tied directly to daily performance appraisals.

Here, branches are competing for the title of “Best Branch of the Day” based on points earned through scheme enrollments. The scoring format allots 10 points for each PMJJBY policy, 6 for APY, and 4 for PMSBY. Each branch is expected to achieve a minimum of 200 points daily—with mandatory thresholds across all three schemes.

Image: Social scheme target in Uttarakhand Gramin Bank

An employee said Kanal, this performance-linked approach leaves little room for actual financial counselling. Our major concern is customers are being enrolled under pressure, sometimes without full consent or understanding, just to meet scorecard metrics.

Telangana Grameena Bank’s ‘Maha Login Day’: Targets in Thousands

Similar strategies are playing out in Telangana, where branches are pushed to enroll en masse under social schemes.

Telangana Grameena Bank (TGB) declared July 25 as “Maha Login Day” with region-wide targets of 3,000 PMJJBY and 5,000 PMSBY policies. In addition to daily cross-selling campaigns, TGB branches are also being evaluated through point systems, and top performers are being felicitated in events marketed as “insurance awareness” programmes.

Image: Social scheme target in Telangana Grameena Bank

One such event at Wonderla amusement park sparked criticism for celebrating insurance sales with rides, dinners, and photo sessions—raising questions about the bank’s priorities. Employees say such programmes obscure the line between public service and profit-driven promotion.

The following comparative chart visualises the scale, duration, and intensity of Jan Suraksha scheme targets across five Regional Rural Banks, highlighting variations in campaign structure and employee pressure points

Image: Analysis of Five RRBs undertaking social security scheme enrollment of customers

Rajasthan Gramin Bank: A Flurry of Targets, Titles, and Trophies

Rajasthan Gramin Bank presents a dense cluster of campaigns that mix social security enrolment targets with ceremonial rewards.

Currently, under its ‘Jan Suraksha Santushti Abhiyan,’ each branch must complete 100 PMJJBY and 150 PMSBY enrollments. Simultaneously, another campaign titled ‘Welcome Chairman Sir’ mandates each branch to enroll 51 PMJJBY and 101 PMSBY policies within just six days. Branches that meet the quota are promised recognition in the Chairman’s review meeting.

Image: Social scheme and saving accounts target in Rajasthan Gramin Bank

According to the bankers, pressure to perform is not limited to insurance. Through the “Urja” campaign, staff are also required to open up to 100 new savings accounts in addition to current accounts. Certificates and other rewards are promised, but employees report rising fatigue and ethical compromises.

In response to this, a staff of Rajasthan Gramin Bank, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Kanal, ‘The way targets are increasing day by day, it would be more transparent if the government itself mandates that no account shall be opened unless both these insurances are subscribed to by default.’ 

He further added, ‘There should be a centralized portal that tells us whether a person has already been enrolled by any other bank. That way, we can avoid multiple duplicate policies and ensure authenticity in coverage.’

Offering a long-term view, the staff member concluded, ‘If the goal is genuine social security, either the government or the bank should bear the premium cost. Forcing it on customers without ensuring their capacity or understanding defeats the entire purpose.’

Jammu & Kashmir Grameen Bank: Quarterly Quotas

Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank has formalised its July–September scheme targets, assigning each branch a quota of 250 PMSBY, 125 PMJJBY, 50 APY, and 150 PMJDY enrollments. Though the campaign includes nodal officers at both the regional and branch level, employees say this has translated into daily numeric expectations, compromising their ability to hold meaningful discussions with customers.

Odisha Gramin Bank Raised the Alarm Earlier This Month

The increasing push for enrollment is not new, Odisha Gramin Bank employees had already sounded a cautionary note earlier this July.

In an internal message, employees warned that arbitrary and unrealistic targets were harming not only customer trust but also the core credibility of RRBs. One staff member noted: “We’re being forced into ticking boxes rather than delivering informed service.”

The statement also cited the 2024 DFS directive, which clearly instructed that no enrollment under Jan Suraksha schemes should be carried out without informed beneficiary consent—a norm that, employees allege, is frequently ignored under current pressure tactics.

From Inclusion to Inducement?

What began as schemes to promote social security and financial inclusion are now being seen by many RRB employees as tools of pressure and performance measurement. The combination of daily scorecards, reward ceremonies, and centrally assigned quotas has transformed staff roles from service providers to sales agents, they argue.

With DFS guidelines on consent sidelined and multiple banks pushing for enrollments on a war footing, unions warn that the situation calls for urgent regulatory review. “If rural banks are reduced to insurance counters, who will serve the real credit needs of rural India?” asked a senior RRB employee.