SBI Field Officers in Odisha Asked to Maintain ‘Dummy Register’ After Daily School Visits

A new directive from the Regional Business Office (RBO), Bargarh, Odisha, has sparked widespread concern among State Bank of India (SBI) Field Officers (FOs). The order, effective from August 1st, 2025, requires each FO to visit one school, college, or government office every day and record details in what has been termed a “dummy register.”

As per the instruction, officers are expected to note:
Name of the institution visited
Date of visit
Number of staff members
How many staff maintain salary accounts with SBI
How many have availed personal loans from the bank
How many have taken home loans from the bank
Mobile numbers of teachers
Prospects for future business

In addition to filling this register, officers have been asked to send a daily business report along with a photocopy of the register to the controlling office every evening.

Image: Directive from SBI RBO Bargarh instructs Field Officers to collect staff and loan details during daily school visits.

The directive has raised several questions among employees and observers. According to some bankers in SBI, Field Officers in SBI handle branch-level operational responsibilities, customer service, and financial inclusion tasks. However, this order effectively mandates them to conduct daily visits to educational institutions and gather personal information, including staff contact numbers and loan details.

Employee representatives describe this as a shift from core banking responsibilities to activities resembling door-to-door marketing. They argue that while business development is part of banking, collecting individual mobile numbers and reporting “expected business” daily could amount to harassment and misuse of trained manpower.

Concerns have also been raised about the privacy of teachers and staff whose personal and financial details are being documented in such registers. Banking professionals point out that salary accounts are often already tied to specific banks through institutional arrangements, making repeated daily visits redundant.

The order has reportedly led to dissatisfaction on the ground. Employees say that such practices undermine their dignity and professional role, adding that constant monitoring through evening reports creates an atmosphere of surveillance rather than productivity.

At a time when SBI positions itself as a leader in digital banking and financial inclusion, such manual, register-based reporting raises questions about the direction of staff deployment strategies.

As India’s one of the largest public sector banks, SBI employs major staff strength. Employees and unions have repeatedly stressed that while business generation is vital, it must not come at the cost of staff morale and dignity.

Observers say the leadership will need to clarify whether such directives align with the bank’s larger vision and human resource policies.