| COMPLAINTS PENDING IN BANKING OMBUDSMEN OFFICE |
| SHASHI THAROOR |
Will the Minister of
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FINANCE |
be pleased to state:-
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(a) whether a number of complaints filed with the Banking Ombudsmen Office have been rejected ;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
(c) whether steps are being taken to create awareness about its pre-requisites for filing of complaints;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether there is a plan to reduce the number of grounds for rejecting a complaint under the scheme and if so, the details thereof? |
| ANSWER |
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI P. CHIDAMBARAM)
(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 154 FOR 22ND AUGUST, 2012 TABLED BY DR. SHASHI THAROOR REGARDING COMPLAINTS PENDING IN BANKING OMBUDSMEN OFFICE.
(a) to (b): Under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 of RBI, fifteen Offices of the Banking Ombudsman (BO) situated across the country resolve complaints from customers of Banks. Majority of the rejections are on account of the complaint being not covered under the grounds provided in clause 8 of the Scheme, not following the laid down procedure under clause 9 or beyond the pecuniary jurisdiction of the Banking Ombudsman. A number of complaints received by BO Offices are also first resort complaints where the complainant approaches the Office of the Banking Ombudsman directly without approaching the bank for redressat of his / her grievance as per the Scheme.
The information regarding total number of complaints and treated as maintainable or non-maintainable by the Offices of the Banking Ombudsman during the last three years is given below:
Year(July-June) 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12
Complaints Disposed 83335 72021 72885
Maintainable 46555 (56%) 35499 (49%) 37455 (51%)
Non-maintainable 36780 (44%) 36522 (51%) 35430 (49%)
Note: Figures in bracket indicate percentage to total complaints disposed. Provisional
(c) to (d): A number of steps have been taken by the RBI and the Government to create awareness and spread financial literacy among the public. Banking Ombudsmen also conduct various outreach activities and awareness campaigns especially in rural and semi-urban areas through newspapers, Doordarshan, All India Radio, documentary films in local languages, interaction through Rotary/LIONS Clubs/Chamber of Commerce, incognito visits to branches, participation in `mefas` and exhibitions in villages etc.
RBI in coordination with BOs and banks also conducts Town Hall events at Tier ll/lll cities where the BO concerned, representatives from leading banks operating in the area and the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI), interact with general public/bank customers.
(e): A Working Group has been constituted by the Reserve Bank of India to review and update the Banking Ombudsmen Scheme, taking into consideration the recommendations made by the Committee on Customer Service in Banks (Damodaran Committee) and the changes in services and product delivery strategies of banks which would also include changes in the grounds of complaints/terms of the BO Scheme etc. |
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