Patna: Officials on Friday dismissed rumours doing the rounds on social media that banks would be shut for six days in the first week of September because of holidays and strikes.
The messages doing the rounds on social media - especially WhatsApp - also cautioned people that ATMs would run dry, and advised people to plan accordingly.
"There are only two bank holidays in the first week of September - the weekly holiday on Sunday (September 2) and due to Janmashtmi on Monday (September 3)," a senior State Bank of India official in Patna said on condition of anonymity. "There is nothing to panic as far as normal banking operations are concerned. ATMs would function normally as they are being replenished during normal banking holidays."
However, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) employees on Friday announced a two-day mass leave on September 4 and 5 over pension and provident fund related demands.
"We are going on a two-day mass leave - Tuesday and Wednesday - to draw the central government's attention to improvement of pension scheme for pensioners and allowing those who were recruited in the RBI after 2012 to take part in the additional provident fund scheme because the current new pension scheme is based on stock market movements which do not assure secured benefit for employees," said Samir Ghosh, general secretary, All India Reserve Bank Employees Association.
Asked about speculation over disruption in banking services, Ghosh said: "Normal banking services will not be paralysed. ATMs would run as normal but big transactions under RTGS and NEFT (bank transfers) would be affected. It would have definitive impact on the stock market also."
A joint press note of the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees said: "The collective body of RBI officers and employees UFRBOE have called upon a mass casual leave on 4th and 5th of September 2018 on the demands of updation of pension and allowing those who were recruited after 2012 to take part in additional provident fund scheme."
Public sector banks will, however, remain closed on September 8 because of holiday on account of it being the second Saturday of the month, and on Sunday, September 9.
