RBI bans Bank of Baroda from onboarding new customers on its mobile app
Mumbai (PTI): The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday barred state-owned Bank of Baroda from onboarding new customers on its mobile app 'bob World' following material supervisory concerns.
Responding to the RBI's directions, the state-owned lender said it has already carried out corrective measures to address the concerns of the central bank, and has initiated further steps to plug any remaining gaps.
"The Reserve Bank of India has, in exercise of its power, under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, directed Bank of Baroda to suspend, with immediate effect, any further onboarding of their customers onto the 'bob World' mobile application," the central bank said in a statement.
The action, the RBI said is based on certain material supervisory concerns observed in the manner of onboarding of their customers onto this mobile application.
"Any further onboarding of customers of the bank on the 'bob World' application will be subject to rectification of the deficiencies observed and strengthening of the related processes by the bank to the satisfaction of RBI," it added.
Bank of Baroda has been further directed to ensure that already onboarded 'bob World' customers do not face any disruption on account of this suspension.
In a filing to stock exchanges, the bank said, "We will work closely with the RBI to address their concerns at the earliest to their satisfaction".
The lender also assured its customers that they will not face any disruption and continue to experience uninterrupted services on the mobile app.
"Further, this order does not impact any of the bank's other digital banking channels such as netbanking, WhatsApp banking, debit cards, ATMs, etc, for servicing its existing customers as well as for onboarding of new customers," the lender added.
The bank does not expect the RBI's action to have a material impact on its overall business and growth plans.
In December 2020, the RBI had barred HDFC Bank from issuing new cards and launching new digital initiatives after repeated instances of technical outages, which is the market leader in the credit cards segment.
The RBI action came after the bank's customers faced a number of incidents of outages in internet banking, mobile banking, and payment utilities over the past two years.
Following remedial action from HDFC Bank, the RBI partially lifted the ban on card issuances in August 2021. However, the ban on launching new technology initiatives continued and was lifted in 2022.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
