Bank employees to stage 'dharna' in front of Parliament

Bhopal, Aug 7 (UNI) About 5,000 bank employees would stage a massive 'dharna' in front of Parliament during 'monsoon session' on August 31 and also submit one crore signatures to the Prime Minister in support of their 20-point demands.

All India Bank Employees' Association (AIEA) National Joint Secretary V K Sharma told a press conference here that the demonstration would be staged as a part of a nation wide campaign against prevailing banking policies.

The campaign was being organised under the joint auspices of the AIEA and the All India Bank Officers' Association.

''Public savings are being used for benefitting industrialists and capitalists as a part of well-planned strategy,'' Mr Sharma alleged.

He said a nationwide public awareness campaign has been started to make people aware about the directionless banking policies with the objective to enlisting support of political leaders, trade union leaders and intellectuals besides common man.

Various public meetings, rallies, workshops, seminars and skits would be organised as a part of the campaign and a petition containing one crore signatures of people from across the country would be submitted to the Prime Minister.

The 20-point demands include providing more loans to self-help groups for empowering poor women, reviving cooperative banks and implementing recommendations of the 'Vaidyanath Committee' and providing interest-free loans to weaker sections besides opening more branches in rural areas.

A target has been set to obtain four lakh signatures from Madhya Pradesh.

UNI