நிலவில் முதன்முதலாக காலடி வைத்த நீல் ஆம்ஸ்டிராங் 82 வயதில் மரணம்

ஒன்இந்தியா:  ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை, ஆகஸ்ட் 26, 2012, 13:11

வாஷிங்டன்: நிலவில் முதன் முதலாக காலடி எடுத்து வைத்த அமெரிக்க விண்வெளி வீரர் நீல் ஆம்ஸ்டிராங் தனது 82வது வயதில் காலமானார்.

1969ம் ஆண்டு ஜூலை மாதம் 20ம் தேதி அப்பல்லோ மிமி என்ற விண்கலம் சந்திரனில் தரை இறங்கியது. அதில் இருந்து நீல் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங் தான் முதல் ஆளாக இறங்கிநிலவில் காலடி எடுத்து வைத்தார். இதன் மூலம் சந்திரனில் முதன் முதலாக நடந்த விண்வெளி வீரர் என்ற பெருமை அவருக்கு கிடைத்தது. பூமி திரும்பிய பின்னர் நீல் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங் உலக ஹீரோவானார்.

கடந்த 5ம் தேதி அவர் தனது 82வது பிறந்தநாளைக் கொண்டாடினார். கடந்த 7ம் தேதி அவருக்கு இதய அறுவை சிகிச்சை நடந்தது. அதில் இருந்து உடல் நலம் குன்றி இருந்த ஆம்ஸ்டிராங் காலமானார் என்று அவரது குடும்பத்தார் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். ஆனால் அவர் எங்கு, எப்போது இறந்தார் என்று அவர்கள் தெரிவிக்கவில்லை.

நீல் ஆம்ஸ்டிராங் நிலவில் நட்டுவைத்த அமெரிக்ககொடி ஏற்கனவே அழிந்துவிட்டது என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

Self-service banking gaining currency

The e-lobby facility enables customers use alternative channels without entering the branch

Banks are increasingly launching self-service banking in the front lobby of their branches to increase customer convenience and reduce transaction time and costs.

Self-service banking in the front lobby of branches enables customers to use alternative banking channels — ATMs, phone banking, cheque deposit machine, and pass-book printer — without entering the branch, any time of the day, irrespective of whether the branch is open or closed.

The per transaction cost incurred on one customer in the physical branch is Rs 50 on an average, while e-banking costs about Rs 10 for a similar transaction.

Recently, ICICI Bank launched 25 electronic branches across 18 cities. The electronic branch, located within the brick and mortar branch, is a one-stop shop for all banking transactions. Among others, it has an interactive kiosk through which services can be accessed by swiping a debit card and provides video-conferencing with the bank’s customer care personnel.

One of the first banks to start the e-lobby facility is Mumbai-based Greater Bombay Cooperative Bank. It is offering all banking transactions to its customers through fully automated lobby banking.

Greater Bank has deployed a single machine called ‘MegaBanker’ in its lobby for 24x7 banking. Customers can use this machine, among others, to deposit cheque/cash (with real time credit to the account), withdraw cash, printing of savings and current account statements, and fake note detection.

Currently, Greater Bank has lobby banking in 17 of its existing 21 branches.

Public sector lender Union Bank of India has launched ‘UnionXperience’ branches, where customers can use alternative banking channels any time of the day, irrespective of whether the branch is open or closed. It has implemented these services in 160 branches across 10 cities, with automation through self-service machines.

“Today, more than 50 per cent of our transactions get done via e-banking. This saves time and costs for the bank,” said Lalit Sinha, General Manager, Alternate Delivery Channel, Union Bank of India.

A senior ICICI Bank official said the bank wants to expand its technology platform beyond ATMs and desktop devices to mobile and tablet devices.

CHALLENGES

Replenishment of cash in the ATM machines and infrastructure are major problems, Sinha said.

“Indians are more comfortable with human interface and hence the customer adaptation to alternate channels is slow,” said Narendra Behere, CEO, Greater Bank.

RBI widens StanChart HSBC probe to other foreign banks

 

PTI : Newdelhi :26 Aug 2012

The Reserve Bank has widened its probe into the affairs of British banking giants HSBC and Standard Chartered to a host of other foreign banks for alleged breach of controls against money laundering and terror financing.

Besides, capital market regulator SEBI may also join the investigations, as there are concerns of funds from these banks being routed to the stock market through foreign investors and other entities, sources said.

Standard Chartered Bank (StanChart) is listed in the Indian stock market.

A senior regulatory authority official said the inspections are being conducted to ensure these banks’ compliance to various fair banking norms in the wake of certain global events.

However, executives at some of the banks admitted that queries being raised by the regulators are serious in nature and particularly aimed at ensuring effective controls against money laundering and financing of terrorism, among others.

The investigations by Indian agencies follow developments in the US, where a host of European banks, besides StanChart and HSBC, are being investigated for their alleged role in exposing the American financial system to money laundering and terror financing risks.

Sources said Indian investigations would not be affected by the recent settlement reached by StanChart in the US, wherein it agreed to pay $340 million to settle charges that it entered into secret transactions involving $250 billion with Iran despite sanctions against that country.

The settlement has been reached only with respect to an investigation by the New York state banking regulator, the New York Department of Financial Services and does not cover the probes being conducted by the various federal regulators in the US, including the Treasury Department.

Last week, the Indian government informed Parliament that Reserve Bank of India is scrutinising the Anti- Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) systems of StanChart and HSBC.

Besides, Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) has also initiated a fact—finding exercise related to HSBC’s operations in India and its compliance to AML and CFT (Counter Financing of Terrorism) regime.

The RBI is also seeking details from British financial sector regulator FSA (Financial Services Authority) about the two UK—based global banking giants, who have significant presence in India and whose outsourcing of key oversight jobs to India has come under the US scanner in separate probes related to issues like money laundering and terror financing.

ICICI Bank pays Rs 53 lakh in gold coin duty evasion case

PTI : Newdelhi :26 Aug 2012

ICICI Bank has paid Rs 53 lakh in a duty evasion case relating to manufacture and sale of gold coins.

“ICICI Bank being the brand owner has admitted the facts 

and implication (in the duty evasion case) and paid an 

amount of Rs 53.08 lakh towards their duty liability including 

interest of Rs 7.29 lakh,” Central Excise Commissionerate 

(Kolkata) said in a statement.

The duty evasion on manufacture and sale of gold coins by the ICICI Bank was discovered by the Anti-Evasion Unit of the Kolkata Commissionerate, it added.

Although the ICICI Bank has admitted the facts and paid Rs 53 lakhs, it said, “further investigation is in progress“.

During inquiry, the statement added, it was “revealed that ICICI Bank has manufactured branded gold coins through job-worker for their corporate customers and sold/redeemed through their branches located throughout India during March 1, 2011 to March 16, 2012 without payment of duty...and thereby evaded central excise duty to the tune of Rs 45.79 lakh”.

The duty was imposed under Rule 12AA of the Central Excise Rules, 2002 which deals with registration, maintenance of accounts, payment of duty etc. with regard to manufacture of jewellery on job work basis.

Job-worker has been defined as a person engaged in manufacture or processing of article of jewellery on behalf and under the instructions of the brand owner

SBI management mulls working on Sundays

PTI :Monday, August 27, 2012, 12:16 [IST]

State Bank of India may have its branches open on Sundays to help improve efficiency, a top bank official has said.

"Possibly we would like to see Sunday working which would increase the time available for doing banking and increase the business," bank chairman Pratip Chaudhuri told analysts on a conference call organised by the brokerage firm Edelweiss Securities.

The country's largest bank had last year taken everybody by surprise by opting to keep all its branches open on October 2 to compensate for a day's business loss due to a technical snag.

The bank management was happy with the foot fall and the staff turnout at the branches at that time in spite of it being a Sunday as well as a national holiday - Gandhi Jayanti.

Notably, many private banks, which control only a minority share in the banking operations, do keep their select branches open on Sundays for customer convenience, even though technologies like internet banking have reduced the need.

Being open on Sundays is said to help the branches attract the new-age working class customers where both the spouses in a household work and struggle to do banking transactions during the week.

SBI, which has almost 14,000 branches across the country, counts on its large chunk of savings account deposits (at over 38 percent) for higher margins.

SBI had carried out widely appreciated 'Parivartan' programme in early part of this decade, which helped it stay relevant in changing times and maintaining lead in the market.

During the call, Chaudhuri said the costs incurred on developing physical infrastructure and network does not hit the bank as much as staff costs.

In order to improve efficiency, it will therefore try to delegate routine responsibilities currently done by officers to the low cost junior employees, he said.

Work within framework or do biz elsewhere: RBI tells SBI chief

K.C. Chakrabarty

R RaviKumar :Chennai:BL:27 Aug 2012

The central bank today came down heavily on SBI Chairman, Pratip Chaudhuri’s statement on phasing out of CRR, saying either comply with or do business elsewhere.

Responding to a question on the sidelines of a financial conference on systemic risk, organised here by Great Lakes Institute of Management, the RBI Deputy Governor, K.C. Chakrabarty, said the banks must work within the framework prescribed by the regulator.

“If the SBI Chairman is not able to do the business in this regulatory environment, he has to find out some other place.”

The SBI Chairman recently said, “CRR doesn't help anybody. While CRR is not applied to insurance companies, NBFCs and mutual funds that are also mobilising deposits from the public, it is unfairly put on banks.

Using an analogy of a tree catching fire, which spreads across the forest, Chakrabarty said, “SBI is too big to fail”. If it is not protected, the risk may catch other banks leading to a systemic failure