Third Anniversary (2018)

The Bank’s Foundation Day in 2018 was celebrated at the prestigious Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata. Dr. Y. V. Reddy, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, was the Chief Guest. The evening was attended by guests including bankers, influencers, key dignitaries, bureaucrats, important corporate heads and a few customers.   

On the occasion, Dr. Y. V. Reddy delivered the anniversary lecture on 'Indian Economy: Asking the Right Questions'. In the lecture, he called for putting an end to the 'populist negativism' and making all-out efforts to restore the confidence in the banking system. In his speech, he stated that the inefficiency of the banking system in India is the primary reason due to which savers are earning less returns, while the interest charged for loans is very high.   

The event also saw a fireside chat between Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh and Dr. Y. V. Reddy; moderated by Mr. Tamal Bandyopadhyay, renowned business columnist and author.    

During the course of the evening, the event witnessed some deserving branches getting recognised for the good work. The award for the Best Bank Branch was won by the Punjabi Bagh branch in East Delhi, while the Best Performing DSC was won by Tezpur DSC from Assam.   

Sangeeta Dutta, one of the beneficiaries of the Bank's CSR interventions - Targeting the Hardcore Poor (THP) Programme, narrated the story of her life. She shared how till a few years ago she couldn’t even afford two square meals a day.  To make her situation worse, her world came crashing down, by the sudden death of her husband in a road accident. Sangeeta was on tenterhooks and to put herself out of the misery, she was contemplating suicide. However, Bandhan came into her life as a ray of hope. With guidance from the THP programme, she was able to turn her life around. With Bandhan's assistance, she bought a sewing machine and started her own cloth manufacturing unit. Slowly and steadily she was able to earn a considerable monthly income for herself. She was able to send her daughter to a good school, as well. She also took up the task of teaching the skill of sewing; she is certainly an inspiration for the women in her community.