ALL INDIA BANK OFFICERS’ CONFEDERATION (AIBOC)
ALL INDIA BANK OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION (AIBOA)
INDIAN NATIONAL BANK OFFICERS’ CONGRESS (INBOC)
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF BANK OFFICERS (NOBO)

Date: 11.05.2020

The Chief Vigilance Commissioner,
Central Vigilance Commission
Satarkta Bhavan,
GPO Complex,
New Delhi – 110 023

Dear Sir,

CVC Guidelines – Transfer of Bank officers.

The Covid-19 crisis has resulted in an unprecedented disruption to the economic activity in the country and the Government of India has extended nationwide lockdown till 17th May 2020 with all possibility of a further extension to contain the outbreak of the dreaded disease. The logistics, movement of people across the country has taken a huge hit. With each passing day, there is an exponential growth in numbers of people affected with the virus taking its toll every day with a record high. As per the opinion of the experts, the peak is likely to come at the end of June/July 2020. Restoration of normalcy may take several months, if not years, till a vaccine is discovered and made available for the populace to halt the community spread.

2. In terms of extant guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission, rotational transfer of officers continuing beyond three years may be strictly carried out from sensitive seats/posts. It has further been clarified that the commission’s advice is for change from the sensitive seat/post, and not necessarily from the station, which is to be governed by the policy of the respective Institution. Banks are following this in letter and spirit in all posts to ensure gaining of knowledge and rotation of job as well as varied exposure in different areas of operations and geographies. It is also pertinent to mention here that more than 60% of the transfers every year in all banks are on account of compliance of the CVC norms.

3. Almost all the Commercial Banks have planned to restrict the current year’s transfer of officials to the barest minimum in the wake of the situations arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. This is largely due to the present ban on the mobility of people and their families, uncertainty as to the date of the lifting of the lockdown and in a conscious bid to contain the huge overheads arising out of the transfer exercise of the banks.

4. Sir, you will agree that the country is facing an unprecedented situation with no hope of complete and immediate recovery. Most of this fiscal will be going in recovery in terms of operations coming back to normal. Yet, many apprehend that in the absence of any vaccine, another lockdown may be underway. In these exceptional circumstances beyond control, it would be prudent if transfer/postings of officers who have completed 3 years in their present seat/post are put on hold for a year as an exceptional one-time measure to obviate avoidable discomfort and dislocation of the officers concerned, who are also carrying a grave risk of getting contaminated.

As per the CVC guidelines, it is mandatory on the part of the banks to transfer all officials holding sensitive positions, who complete 3 years during this financial year. However, the transfers resulting out of complying CVC guidelines this year will be detrimental to the interests of the bank and the officers in the following ways:

1. The transfer of officers’ results in heavy expenditure every year. If the transfers under CVC guidelines are deferred for this year, then over 60 % of the expenditure on transfers can be reduced and this will help in pruning down avoidable expenditure during these difficult times.

2. Normally the transfer exercise will be completed before June end and the new incumbents are expected to take up their responsibilities by the first week of July every year. However this time, we are already in May and the likely date of implementation of the transfers is uncertain due to the prevailing situation. As a result, the business continuity at the branch level will get disrupted, if banks largely embark on transfer exercise to comply with the extant CVC guidelines.

3. Moreover, the officers will not get school admission for their children in the mid academic year and find it extremely difficult to get suitable residential accommodation at the transferee place. The number of such officers under transfer, who will have to face this eventuality, can be drastically reduced if CVC guideline for the duration of stay in one particular assignment is put on hold.

4. If Banks have to comply with the extant CVC guidelines, then it will create a situation where those transfers alone will be more than the stipulated percentage of transfers earmarked for the year in many of the banks. This may result in denial of transfers to other officers for all genuine reasons and other humanitarian considerations.

In the above backdrop, we fervently appeal to your good office as an exception and purely on the humanitarian ground to direct all the banks to consider extending the tenure of any officer who has completed three years in a post by minimum one year.

As the timing of undertaking transfer exercise for this year in all Banks is fast approaching, we request you for early issuance of your advisory to all the banks in this regard.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

(Soumya Datta)
General Secretary
AIBOC

(Nagarajan S)
General Secretary
AIBOA

(Prem Kumar Makker)
General Secretary
INBOC

(Viraj Tikekar)
General Secretary
NOBO