SC, ST officers denied promotion in SBI on fake charges: Parliamentary panel

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, December 19

In a severe castigation of the process of promotion of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe officers at India’s premier public sector bank, the State Bank of India, a parliamentary panel on Monday said that even meritorious SC/ST officers were being denied promotion on the basis of fictitious charges against them.

RESERVATION IN PROMOTIONS

Reservation in promotion by non-selection method is available to SCs and the STs in all groups of services — A, B, C and D — at the rate of 15% and 7.5%, respectively. In case of promotion by selection method, reservation is available up to the lowest rung of Group ‘A’ at the same rates.

In a report tabled in Parliament today, the Committee on the Welfare of SCs and STs questioned the Finance Ministry on the issue and said, “Meritorious SC/ST officers at the level of Chief Manager, Assistant General Manager and General Manager are being deprived of promotion by levelling fictitious charges against them at the time of their promotion in spite of the fact that their previous record have been excellent and they deserve promotion on merit without reservations at senior level.”

Expressing dissatisfaction at the government’s reply, the committee asked the ministry to give details of SC/ST officers chargesheeted and promoted in the past 10 years.

The committee further questioned the government on why there was no SC/ST Director on the Board of Directors of the SBI.

Responding to the ministry’s response that it was the bank that had to provide a panel of employees nominated by respective unions to the Centre for consideration on the board, the panel said, “As per the ministry, the bank has to provide three names from officers and three from workmen employees to the government. It is a matter of serious concern that in the lists of names submitted by the All India State Bank Officers’ Federation and All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, including two representative unions in the SBI, there is no proposal for members of SC/ST category in the board.”