Officers Association provides suggestions to MD&CEO on how to make Bank a better bank to work with

In a letter to the MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank, the All India Punjab National Bank Officers' Federation offered crucial suggestions for enhancing the bank's working environment.

Suggestions to improve work environment in Bank

1. Office / Branch timing – Most of the bigger branches are closed after 6 PM, it goes as late as 8 PM. Most of the Admin offices are closed after 7 PM. There should be a directive from HO to ZO and CO to ensure that all branches and admin offices are closed by 6 PM. Only adequately rest employees can deliver good and efficient service the next day and as all of us know banking is a service industry where quality service matters the most.
2. Meetings both virtual and in person are dragged up to late hours in the evening even it goes up to night and this is having adverse effects. All such meetings either virtual or in person should end by 6 PM and there are too many virtual meetings happening every day from HO, ZO and CO, such meetings should be minimized.
3. Any virtual meeting in business hours should be avoided.
4. There should be a complete ban on illegal day end checks by CO on branches.
5. Holiday working should be avoided.
6. All ZO and CO authorities should be directed not to abuse, give threat and humiliate employees working under them, every day we are getting complaints of misbehavior from controlling office officials.
7. Targets given to branches and verticals should be realistic and in line with industry trends and our corporate guidelines. If today banking industry is growing at the rate of 10 pc then our targets should be around that only max plus 2 pc above industry trends.
8. Complete ban on window dressing of business.
9. Controlling offices should trust branch officials and their interference in day-to-day banking should be bare minimum and it should be more of hand holding.
10. There are too many campaigns every day. We should move away from campaign driven banking to self-motivated banking by branch officials.
11. There should be one month gap between every outreach program.
12. MD and CEO should do only quarterly review of business. Monthly review should be EDs domain.
13. No of employees in branches / vertical should be increased and that of Admin offices should be rationalized.
14. We need to recruit more and more clerical staff to manage our counter services better.
15. We need to invest more on capabilities building of our workforce through training (offline mode).
16. Number of products should be rationalized.
17. We have too many portals no should be reduced and rationalized.
18. Our bank other income is on lower side in comparison to peer banks. We need to analyze the reasons and fix this issue on priority basis.
19. Our operating profit is also on lower side we need to do brainstorming to improve our profitability.
20. We need to create a sense of belongingness and ownership among our employees towards our bank.

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Punjab National Bank(PNB) Q1 PAT falls 48% YoY

State-owned Punjab National Bank on Wednesday reported a standalone net profit of Rs 1,675 crore for the quarter ended June 2025, marking a 48% year-on-year (YoY) decline from Rs 3,251.5 crore in the first quarter of FY25.

Total income for the June quarter rose 15.7% YoY to Rs 37,232 crore, up from Rs 32,166 crore a year earlier.

Net interest income (NII), however, remained largely flat, increasing by just 1% year-on-year to Rs 10,578 crore from Rs 10,476 crore in the year-ago period.

The sharp fall in profit was driven by a one-time tax expense of Rs 5,083.3 crore, compared with Rs 2,017 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

On a consolidated basis, the lender posted a net profit of Rs 1,832 crore for the first quarter, down 52% from Rs 3,716 crore a year earlier.

Asset quality improved modestly on a sequential basis. Gross non-performing assets stood at 3.78% at the end of June, down from 3.95% in March. Net NPAs eased to 0.38% from 0.4%.

The bank reported sequential and annual improvements in asset quality. Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) fell to Rs 42,673 crore as of June 2025, a decline of Rs 8,590 crore from Rs 51,263 crore a year earlier.

The gross NPA ratio improved to 3.78%, down from 3.95% in March and 5.73% in June 2024. Net non-performing assets (NNPA) also declined to Rs 4,132 crore from Rs 5,930 crore in the year-ago quarter, with the NNPA ratio improving to 0.38% from 0.60%.

Total CASA (current and savings account) deposits stood at Rs 5,68,638 crore, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 3.6%. The CASA ratio stood at 36.99% at the end of the June quarter.

On the advances front, retail credit rose 11.8% year-on-year to Rs 2,62,219 crore. The bank's core retail lending segment posted stronger growth, rising 17.7% from the year-ago period. Agriculture loans grew by 6.2% to Rs 1,78,885 crore, while MSME advances surged 18.6% year-on-year to Rs 1,69,426 crore.

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In Loan Fraud Case, Female Branch manager of PSU Bank suspended in Uttar Pradesh

At the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in the Shernagar region, a significant fraud case has been discovered. A female bank manager assigned to the branch has been charged with defrauding the bank by abusing her position and using fictitious documentation to obtain a Rs 40 lakh home loan. 

 An internal investigation was started by the bank management as soon as the issue was discovered. The accused bank officer was immediately suspended from her position after it was confirmed that fraud had definitely occurred. 

 Additionally, the bank has accused her of fraud and breach of trust in a First Information Report (FIR) that was submitted to the police station. Police are currently pursuing legal action against her.

Shivansh Verma, the son of Shivkumar Verma, the manager of the same PNB Shernagar branch, filed a complaint. He complained about the old manager's financial theft at the New Mandi Kotwali police station. 

 His complaint states that from July 17, 2021, to May 2, 2023, Amrita Singh, the wife of Lokendra Singh and a native of Rampur village in the Kanpur Nagar area, served as the Branch Manager at PNB Shernagar. She currently resides in Gokul City, Muzaffarnagar, with her family.

How the Fraud Happened

Amrita Singh requested for a house loan from her own branch when she was the branch manager in order to purchase a plot in Dream City, a housing colony being built in Muzaffarnagar. She stated that the purpose of the loan was to purchase land and construct a home on it. 

 

A Rs 40 lakh home loan was authorized by the bank and credited to her personal account. Amrita Singh did purchase the land, but despite the passage of time, no construction has begun on the property. Additionally, it was discovered that she failed to provide crucial paperwork needed for the property's mortgage, which is a prerequisite for obtaining a house loan.

She obtained the entire sum of Rs 40 lakh by abusing her powerful position within the bank and skipping the required procedures. Amrita Singh did not begin construction or adhere to the bank's loan requirements despite multiple reminders from the bank. 

 The bank suspended her after an internal investigation determined that fraud had taken place. The bank subsequently filed an official complaint with the police.

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Bank Association asks Officers to leave Branch by 6 PM

 

All members of the All India Punjab National Bank Officers' Federation (AIPNBOF) are required to leave their offices or branches by 6 PM. The general secretary of the AIPNBOF has requested that PNB staff only work eight hours a day. 

Options for loans The federation has reaffirmed the "Kewal 8 Ghante Kaam Ke" work guideline, which states that workers shouldn't be expected to work past their assigned shifts. 

 The general secretary of the AIPNBOF, Krishna Kumar, stated, "Comrades are asked to promptly bring the matter to my attention if any day-end check or official instruction is placed by circle authorities to work beyond this time."

The federation has made this decision in order to safeguard officers from undue work-related stress and to maintain a positive work-life balance. A Bank of Baroda chief manager recently killed himself as a result of intense work-related stress.

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Punjab National Bank(PNB) Rejecting TA Bills of Officers for using Own Car without Prior Permission

TA Bills of officers who use their own automobiles for travel without prior authority approval are being rejected by Punjab National Bank (PNB). According to the existing procedure, officials must first obtain approval from the Circle Office before they are allowed to drive their own vehicle, and only then can their TA bill be approved. Even if officers travel for urgent official business, this requirement still holds true. 

AIPNBOA has now vehemently opposed it. The All India PNB Officers' Association (AIPNBOA) has strongly urged the Punjab National Bank's (PNB) top management to immediately revoke this policy. Citing the policy's detrimental effects on officer morale and efficiency, the association has called it "demotivating" and "impractical."

AIPNBOA has now vehemently opposed it. The All India PNB Officers' Association (AIPNBOA) has strongly urged the Punjab National Bank's (PNB) top management to immediately revoke this policy. Citing the policy's detrimental effects on officer morale and efficiency, the association has called it "demotivating" and "impractical." 

 In a letter to PNB's MD and CEO, the AIPNBOA General Secretary requested that he investigate the matter. The problem has gained attention after the Staff Welfare and Compensation Cell (SWCC) allegedly denied a number of travel allowance (TA) requests, stating that prior authorization from authorities was not obtained.

The association highlighted that officers frequently need to travel at short notice for a wide range of duties, including:

Stock verification

Loan sanction and follow-up visits

End-use verification of loans

Security assessments

Field verification of borrower and customer addresses

Locker rent recovery

Legal and recovery work

Customer outreach and financial awareness programs

Business development and loan recovery drives

AIPNBOA claims that officers are not being reimbursed for official travel in their personal cars just because they did not get prior consent, which is frequently impractical in real-world scenarios. Field officers have reportedly been frustrated and dissatisfied as a result of these TA bills being rejected. 

 These duties cannot wait for official approvals, particularly in circumstances that are urgent or time-sensitive. Even in metropolitan and semi-urban areas, the group noted, personal vehicles are the only dependable means of timely transportation because public transportation is either inaccessible or inappropriate.

The letter also highlighted problems that branch heads and senior officials experience since, according to the current regulations, they have to get permission from the Circle Head before they can drive in their own car for official business. Due to his hectic schedule, Circle Head might not be able to provide approval right away, which causes delays and obstacles in the process. 

 The group also voiced worries that the general culture these policies foster shows a "lack of trust" in cops. According to the letter, "it is as if every officer is considered a thief until proven otherwise." This is detrimental to the working atmosphere in addition to being discouraging, especially for junior officers who are working under pressure in the field.

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Home Loan Fraud in Bank, Builder sold same Flat to multiple People

 In a noteworthy development, on July 4, 2025, Harsh Sharma was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to a housing loan fraud case that began on August 2, 2017. Since the case was initially filed, Harsh Sharma had not participated in the investigation and had been evading capture for eight years. In a protracted investigation, his arrest represents a significant advancement.

The CBI claims that Harsh Sharma and the construction company Shree Balaji Hitech Construction engaged in a criminal conspiracy. His personal information, including his KYC details, was exploited to fabricate home loan applications. He was fictitiously represented by the builder as the buyer of an apartment that never actually changed hands.

The identical apartment was purportedly sold to several phony purchasers in order to defraud Punjab National Bank of loan payments. Through fabricated documentation and fictitious transactions, this fraudulent behavior enabled the builder to unlawfully receive substantial quantities of money from the bank.

On March 19, 2024, the CBI submitted a charge sheet outlining the accused's role before the Special CBI Court in Ghaziabad. The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Harsh Sharma because he was evading capture and refusing to cooperate with the inquiry. On the morning of July 4, 2025, the CBI team made the last arrest after persistently trying to track him down.

Harsh Sharma was brought before the Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI) in Ghaziabad after his arrest. He is currently being held in judicial detention until July 15, 2025, under the court's ruling. The CBI has said that the matter is still being investigated and that additional information may be revealed as it develops.

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PNB Employees Win Big! No implementation of a QR code-based employee feedback system

Employees of Punjab National Bank have some exciting news. According to the sources, there will be no implementation of the employee feedback system based on QR codes. The All India Punjab National Bank Officers' Association (AIPNBOA) requests have finally been complied with by the MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank.

The MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank met with Shri. Dilip Saha, the general secretary of AIPNBOA, and they discussed a number of topics.

In letters dated April 21, 2025, June 9, 2025, and June 19, 2025, the MD and CEO addressed our concerns and ideas about the use of the AAGMAN App and QR code-based customer feedback for attendance marking.

The AAGMAN app and QR code were on the agenda for the meeting on May 13, 2025.  AIPNBOA disagreed with the policy based on QR codes.  The association expressed concerns about the AAGMAN app, and management responded that the program does not trace an employee's whereabouts and that the location is only accessed when logging in to indicate attendance. Logins within the specified area will be accepted as legitimate and will not be questioned in the future.

 Members were informed by AIPNBOA that they could utilize the PNB AAGMAN app based on this written assurance.  The management did concur, though, that using biometrics as an alternate method of recording attendance is equally legitimate.

 On June 26, 2025, the management called the AIPNBOA GS once more in response to the previous meeting on May 13, 2025.Despite the lack of a specific agenda, CGM, GM-HRDD, GM-HRMD, GM-HR, and DGM-HR were present for extensive and fruitful conversations.

 Our adamant opposition to the deployment of the QR code-based customer feedback system on an officer-by-office basis was one of the main points brought up.

 AIPNBOA reaffirmed our unwavering position that, in line with the Bank's previous policy, customer service feedback should still be gathered at the branch (SOL) level.  Feedback systems that target specific officers are intolerable and bad for morale and teamwork.

AIPNBOA raised several issues such as:

• Centralisation of key verticals, especially the shifting of ZRMCs to CRCs and the proposed reduction and relocation of RCCs to only five centres — a move we believe will negatively impact operational efficiency and officer convenience.
• Unreasonable demands, such as seeking Balance Confirmation letters on a yearly basis (instead of the existing 3-year cycle) and the compulsion to renew CC accounts within 15 days, despite RBI’s policy allowing 180 days for review and renewal. Such practices are creating an excessive workload at branches and adversely affecting business growth.
• Pressure from CHs/ZMs on officers to use the Aagman App, even when they are already marking attendance through the biometric system, despite both options being permissible under the existing policy.
• Inadequate DIEM reimbursements for hotel stays, arbitrary conditions for two-wheeler travel approvals and documentation, non-reimbursement of actual flight seat costs, long-pending lease rent issues in locations like Panchkula and Mohali, among others.
• Recruitment on linguistic basis to overcome the shortage of manpower in many circles which are difficult as well as deficit circles. This will help especially our technical officers such as Agriculture officers, Marketing officers and IT officers, who are presently working in different parts of the country to go back to their home circle on request transfers.
• The issue of payment of Special Concession/ incentives to Officers working in Kashmir Valley – Revision of rates as revised by DOPT vide their latest communication was also discussed and we are hopeful the same will be implemented shortly.

Following this meeting, AIPNBOA GS was invited for a one-on-one interaction with our MD & CEO, which lasted for approximately 80 minutes. All of the above matters were raised in detail during this discussion.

The MD & CEO responded positively and also acknowledged the concerns and assured that necessary corrective actions would be taken. Significantly, the request to retain the earlier policy of collecting customer feedback at the branch level (SOL) and not on individual officers via QR codes has been accepted by the MD & CEO.

Additionally, it was assured that no new verticals, mergers, or centralisation initiatives will be implemented without prior consultation with our association, and certainly not during mid-academic year, so as to avoid disruption to officers and their families.

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Consumer Commission fined the branch manager of PSU Bank in ATM fraud case

The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Shamli has fined the branch manager of Punjab National Bank (PNB), Gadhipukhta a total of ₹55,153 in a case involving an unlawful withdrawal of ₹10,000.

Actual Case

A man named Rampal Singh, who lives in Rajhad village, filed a complaint on October 3, 2018 against two banks. (1)PNB Gadhipukhta Branch (2)ICICI Bank, Shamli Branch

He claimed to have a PNB Gadhipukhta savings account. He took out ₹10,000 from an ICICI Bank ATM in Shamli on July 23, 2018. He then had ₹2,062.59 remaining in his account. However, on July 24, 2018, he received an SMS warning stating that a further ₹10,000 had been taken out of his account while he was at home with his ATM card. He was perplexed by this and called his bank right away. He was instructed by the bank employees to make a complaint by calling the toll-free number. He claimed to have done so on August 3, 2018, but he never heard back. Later, on August 27, 2018, he even mailed a legal notice.

Meanwhile, on August 29, 2018, he received ₹16,044 in his account as a sugarcane payment. However, the bank only deposited ₹7,953 into his account after deducting ₹7,937 in costs and adjusting ₹153 (overdraft). When Rampal Singh visited the Shamli branch of ICICI Bank to view the CCTV footage, he was instructed to return in a week. The problem persisted even after multiple visits to the branch. He made a formal request to see the video on September 20, 2018, but once more, nothing happened.

Consumer Commission Decision

The Commission, which was chaired by Hemant Kumar Gupta and included members Amarjit Kaur and Abhinav Agarwal, heard the case and decided in favor of Rampal Singh. 

They issued the following directives: 

The withdrawn sum of ₹10,153 must be given back to Rampal Singh together with 12% simple interest. 

He will receive ₹20,000 for his financial, emotional, and physical suffering. ₹5,000 will be used to cover legal costs. 

For unfair practices and poor service, the bank was also fined ₹20,000, which will be paid to the government treasury rather than the complainant. 

The case describes how a customer lost money as a result of an unauthorized ATM withdrawal. The consumer court intervened and punished the bank for its carelessness after the bank failed to address the customer's numerous complaints.

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