Finally Finance Minister Requests for Vaccinations of Bankers

Finally the Finance Minister got time to look after the pain of the bank employees in this COVID pandemic. They have forwarded a request to ministry of home affairs and the health ministry to consider issuing guidelines for priority vaccinations of bankers. This is not assure till now, when will the notification be issued ? 

There are around more than 1000 bank employees, who have lost their life due to Corona and counting is still going on. Banking is the only services which has not been stopped for a day through out India in this pandemic.

Interestingly, the decision for issuing a memo comes after three months of request by IBA in this regard. The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) wrote to the ministry on 1 February requesting inclusion of bankers in the priority list of vaccinations, citing, among other things, the new mutant variant of covid-19. “The matter was. discussed in the meeting of managing committee of IBA held on 15 January, wherein a strong consensus was arrived for requesting the government to include the bank employees in the priority list for free vaccinations," said the IBA letter. 

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They have also requested for the employees of the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI). 

“This will go a long way in assuring them about the safety of themselves and their families and will also boost their morale in continuing to provide their best services to their customers," said the government memo. 

The finance ministry further said that bank employees have played a critical role over the past year in ensuring that branches remain open and functional, and provided the complete suite of services to customers. 

This, it acknowledged, was despite issues in mobility of bank staff to their place of work and issues in adhering to social distancing norms and other precautions. “Their effort was even more important in view of the disbursal and withdrawal of benefits transferred by the government to beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) and bank employees ensured that beneficiaries did not face any difficulties in withdrawing their benefits," the notification further add. 

The health ministry has said that government and private workplaces which have 100 or more people above the age of 45 years of age can from April 11 can organize covid-19 vaccination programme from 11 April. 

While there has been clamor over reducing the age limit for being eligible for vaccination, the Centre has so far not been keen on reducing it, except for healthcare workers and certain other frontline workers like security personnel and municipal officers. 

Bankers, however, have not been part of covid-19 immunization programme.