Shahjahanpur DM orders meeting of Bank Employees on Sunday

Shahjahanpur’s District Magistrate has scheduled a meeting on 17 August 2025 (Sunday) to review the poor performance under the Uttar Pradesh Gramin Aajeevika Mission. Local administration has instructed officials to visit bank branches and ensure faster disbursement of loans.

The letter issued by Local Administration has ordered all the Bank Employees to attend the meeting. The letter stated that a meeting will be held under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate on 17.08.2025 at 4 am. All Block Development Officers, ISRLM, Block Mission Managers and all Bankers must be compulsorily present in the meeting.

But the move has sparked questions: Why call the meeting on a Sunday instead of Monday? Is the urgency so great that employees can’t enjoy a normal holiday? And the bigger concern—why such intense pressure on banks to push loans under government schemes?

More troubling is the relentless pressure on banks to sanction loans under government schemes, often without considering the long-term repayment risks. When administration turns into a loan-pushing machine, is it about public welfare—or just meeting targets on paper?

One important point to consider is why District Management conducts meetings directly with Branch Managers. Bank branches are overseen by senior officers such as Assistant General Managers (AGMs) or Deputy General Managers (DGMs). For example, in a city, SBI has 50 branches. These all branches are controlled by a senior officer of AGM/DGM rank.

So, District Management meetings should be held with these Circle Heads or Regional Managers, as they are the ones who actually control and coordinate branch operations. Local administration should therefore issue directives to involve Circle Heads/Regional Managers in such meetings instead of dealing directly with individual Branch Managers.

Branch Managers can focus on their core banking operations instead of attending frequent administrative meetings, thereby improving customer service and operational efficiency. Since senior officers are directly responsible for branch performance, discussing targets, issues, and strategies with them will lead to faster decision-making and better monitoring. This approach also aligns with the bank’s hierarchy, avoiding bypassing of authority and ensuring that instructions are passed down systematically.