In the light of second wave of coronavirus pandemic in the country, Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has advised banks to restrict working hours between 10 am to 2 pm.
In a letter to State Level Banking Committee (SLBC) convenors, IBA said last month, “We are going through the challenging period of resurgence of the mutant virus with several states reporting record high daily numbers of new infections and there are serious concerns about the economic activities.”
Following this order, the public and private sector lender have implemented shorter banking hours. However, State Level Banking Committee convenors decide whether this new rule should be implemented in their respective areas or not, considering the COVID-19 situation. So if you are visiting branches, remember that most banks are functioning from 10 am to 2 pm. The new opening and closing hours will be effective till May 31.
Banks have also been asked to provide four mandatory services — accepting deposits, cash withdrawals, remittance and government businesses till the month-end. The State Level Banking Committees of each state and union territory will review the situation in their respective locations and decide on additional services that can be provided, IBA earlier mentioned in the letter.
“Employees may be called on rotational basis or be allowed to work from home as the case may be depending on the nature of job, staff position and size of the establishment, ideally 50% of the employees may be called for ‘in person’ duty and on rotation basis,” it further added.
State Bank of India, country’s largest lender, has introduced the new timings and rules in some of their branches. The bank has encouraged the customers to stay at home to fight against COVID-19. Customers have been requested to use internet banking and phone banking services to avoid stepping out of their homes. “Your safety comes first! Why step out when you can bank from the comfort of your home? Use our #InternetBanking facility and avail a host of essential banking services. Visit: https://onlinesbi.com,” the lender said. SBI users can use internet banking to transfer funds, create and manage deposit accounts, pay bills, apply for ATM cards and cheque books, enable or disable UPI and download bank statements.
Private sector lender Axis Bank has also implemented the new opening and closing timings and rules amid coronavirus pandemic.
SBI earlier said that customers do not need to visit bank branches to submit Know Your Customer (KYC) details. The account holders can send the necessary documents via post or registered email to update their KYC documents. Customers will have to submit proof of address and identity to their bank branch via email. Account holders can send the the documents using their registered email address to the branch’s mail address.”You may scan and email your KYC documents on the branch email address only if KYC updation is due in your account and the branch has notified you for the same. Please note to send the email from the email ID you have registered with your bank account,” State Bank of India said in a tweet.
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