MEMORANDUM TO UNION FINANCE MINISTER

NATIONAL BANK OFFICER’S ASSOCIATION

c/o National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

Plot No. C-24, Block ‘G’, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East),

 Mumbai - 400051

Ref. No .NBOA/ 201    /2012-13                                                            28 April 2012

Hon’ble Sri Pranab Mukherjee Ji

Minister of Finance

Government of India

New Delhi

Hon’ble Sir,

Request for Kind Intervention

      We do hereby very humbly submit that NABARD is undergoing a Repositioning & Restructuring exercise which aims to alter/dilute its Rural Development oriented mandate. To illustrate our view point we bring to your kind notice following decisions of the bank which do not augur well with the assigned mandate of our organization-

1. Closure of 14 District Development Offices across the country.
2. Merger and closure of various developmental departments including Premier Training Institute like BIRD.
3.  Steps to downsize NABARD and cancellation of Staff recruitment exercise.
4. Launching of commercially oriented business plans and initiatives which may eventually lead to weakening of the cooperative structure in the country.

      Unfortunately, the entire exercise has been wrapped under a cover of secrecy and management has studiously avoided all efforts to make available or discuss the Report/Suggestions provided by the Boston Consultancy Group with any of the stake holders including its own Officers. It has also come to our knowledge that undue favours have been shown to the Consulting agency which has neither delivered the promised deliverables nor has stuck to the TOR assigned to it.

   More so, the very committed and disciplined human resource of  this 30 years old organisation is being subjected to an insensitive and arbitrarily governance leading to a large scale discontentment and industrial disharmony in the organisation. The entire organisation is reeling under fear psychosis. Steps have been initiated to choke and/or remove all the career progression opportunities and the service conditions of the officers are being adversely impacted with each passing day.

     In order to scuttle, subjugate and silence any participatory approach to governance the management has embarked upon to dismantle and demolish AINBOA, a recognised and democratically functioning representative body of all the officers of NABARD. The office-bearers as also the large number of its members, including lady officers, are being victimized.

     The set norms of governance as enshrined in the NABARD Staff Rules, NABARD's Transfer Policy and NABARD's Promotion Policy are being overlooked and side stepped leading to a spate of court cases against the management by its very own employees which is unprecedented in the history of NABARD.

     All our efforts to initiate and enter into a meaningful dialogue within the true spirit of 'convince or get convinced' have been   thwarted, stone walled and denied.

     Absence of a Managing Director as also the ED (HRMD) in the organisation for last one year has also not stood in good stead towards the corporate governance leaving no space for checks and counter checks and has rendered the grievance reddressal mechanism ineffective.

In view of the above, we very humbly urge upon you to-

1. Use your good offices to save and strengthen NABARD as a DFI so that it continues to serve its real clientele-the rural poor of this country-with zeal and zest.

 2. Post a full time Managing Director at NABARD so as to ensure a smooth organisational governance, AND

 3. Direct the management to :

A) Immediately initiate a dialogue with the AINBOA on the entire gamut of Repositioning & Restructuring Exercise.

B )  Immediately stop all discriminatory steps against officers community so as to restore industrial harmony and conducive working environment in the organization.

C) Honor , in letter and spirit ,  the accepted and well laid down and settled aspects related to the service conditions of officers as enshrined in NABARD Act , 1982 and NABARD Staff Rules ,1982.

 Hon'ble Sir, we assure on behalf of entire officers community that as always, officers of NABARD will continue to effectively and efficiently serve the organisation and put their heart and soul in taking the organisation to great heights in the service of Rural India.

Thanking You in anticipation of a much needed favourable intervention

Yours  Sincerely

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(Dr D.S.Chauhan)                                                                                (U.K.Mohanty)

General Secretary                                                                                       President