An awareness drive on Banking Ombudsman scheme was held here on Friday.
Reserve Bank of India deputed Odisha’s banking Ombudsman Sridhar Behera, attending the event as chief guest, revealed that according to the RBI, the scheme enables an expeditious and inexpensive forum to bank customers for resolution of complaints relating to certain services rendered by banks.
The scheme was introduced by the RBI in the year 2006. A senior official is appointed by the RBI in each State capital as Ombudsman who is entrusting with the responsibility to redress customers’ complaints against deficiency in banking services.
All scheduled commercial banks, regional rural banks and scheduled primary cooperative banks are covered under the scheme, Behera informed.
A dissatisfied customer can approach the Ombudsman following failure in getting any remedy for his complaint against any bank where he operates a bank account and does his transaction. Complaints like non-payment and delay in payment, collection of drafts and cheques, bills, non-acceptance of small denomination notes, delay in payment of inward remittances, failure issuing drafts, pay orders, non-adherence to prescribed working hours including any deficiency of bank services will be decided by the banking ombudsman within thirty days, he revealed. Among others, RBI senior official MN Das, AGM Nabard Shanti Prakash Mohapatra and lDM Anil Patnaik participated in the event as resource persons and explained the benefits of banking ombudsman. They also answered to several queries.