The 27 Public sector banks (PSBs) in the country are likely to be given either autonomy status to go it alone or will be asked to form a consortium based on their geographical location to meet their future recruitment needs.
The banking division in the Union finance ministry, which is scripting the broad recruitment guidelines to be followed by the PSBs in this regard, is expected to issue clear cut directions on the recruitment policy to be followed by these banks by the end of next month.
"Given that the recruitment requirements of PSBs are now small, it makes little sense to persist with a formal structure like the Banking Service Recruitment Boards. Majority of these banks are confident of conducting their own recruitment's," sources said.
The division is also examining the possibility of asking the banks to form consortiums based on the proximity of their headquarters so that there will be sharing of costs, they pointed out and added that the services of external agencies such as the National Institute of Bank Management and the Indian Banking Personnel Selection could be availed of to ensure that the recruitment process is smooth and above-board.
It is treading cautiously on the twin issues of dovetailing reservations for various categories and ensuring transparency (so that there are no allegations of nepotism) with the autonomy status being contemplated for the banks.
The finance ministry has elicited the views of the individual banks, the National Institute of Bank Management and the Indian Banks' Association as to their preference for the recruitment procedure to be adopted by the banks.
The Union finance minister, in his last Budget speech, had said that the 15 BSRBs will be wound-up by July 31, 2001. With the boards collectively making only 3,000 recruitments in the last fiscal, it was felt that the per head cost of recruitment and the time taken by them did not justify their existence.
