Banking services to be affected on Oct 22
Kolkata, Oct 21: Banking services across the country are likely to be partially disrupted on October 22 as two bank unions will go on a 24-hour strike on the day.
The strike has been called by All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) and the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) to protest against recent bank mergers, falling deposit rates and issues of job security.
The Reserve Bank of India and State Bank of India will, however, not participate in the strike, sources in them said.
Regional Rural Banks and cooperatives banks will also not participate in the strike as mergers do not affect them, sources said.
Striking unions said they will shut the ATMs as these will be under the strike ambit.
Bank of Maharashtra, Syndicate Bank, Bank of Baroda have expressed concern over their providing normal customer services.
"We expect good response from all PSU and private banks," Bank Employees Federation of India (State Federation) General Secretary Joydeb Dasgupta said.
SBI has claimed the impact of the strike on its operations will be minimum as most of its employees are not members of the participating unions.
A SBI union leader said they are not participating in the strike and services will be normal.
Dasgupta said SBI employees have offered moral support to the strike he said adding "It would have been good if SBI joined the strike".
AIBEA and BEFI also oppose outsourcing of regular and perennial banking jobs and privatisation of the banking industry, sources in them said.
They have demanded adequate recruitment of clerical and sub-staff and urged for stringent steps for recovery of mounting bad loans, the sources added.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
