Yes I will get the address for Delhi. It is best if inidividuals take up the work themselves. However it will help if I know the problem also. When I know the range of problems that we face then only can I put them forth at the policy stage. So if any fine tuning has to be done to a circular then its best to know what is going on in the real world. Kanchan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vamshi. G" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 07:02 Subject: Re: [AI] help with opening a joint bank account
Kanchan madam You have given us the contact details of ministers and officials for addressing our problems relating to annual budgets and railways. Now, can you give us the contact details of RBI ombudsman to address our problems relating to provision of banking services? I had a similar enquiry from one of our friends from Delhi. So, instead of reporting everything to you, we can directly contact the concerned officials. Actually, this is what you want, more people fighting, instead of one fighting for all, right? -- G. Vamshi PH Res : +91 877-2243861 Mobile: +91 9949349497 E-mail ID: [email protected] Skype: gvamshi81 God helps those who help themselves On 6/22/09, pamnani <[email protected]> wrote: > Bharat and rajesh, > I have forwarded Bharat's problem to the RBI. They are going to deal with > it. > Bharat you will have to contact the Delhi Ombudsman at the RBI. > > The IBA guidelines cover your problem. ICICI has no business refusing your > account. > > I can only shake my head in disbelief and storm about it to the RBI. > Your problem is being looked at very seriously. > Just have patience and the will to fight. > These are teething problems. Some foolish officer somewhere has a warped > mind. > Kanchan > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Asudani, Rajesh" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 14:30 > Subject: Re: [AI] help with opening a joint bank account > > > I am pasting IBA guidelines which clearly state that a visually impaired > customer can open an account jointly with anybody including other visually > impaired persons. > Show them this, I think a copy is available with xrcvc and IBA sites as > well. > > However, I can not guaranttee that ICICI people will accept the point, as > firstly, they may insist to bring in a signed copy of circular, as > absurdly > some banks are doing, secondly all said and done, in India, nobody can > compell anybody to obey the laws. > Remember what SBI came up with even after RBI circular and IBA > guidelines!!!!!!!! > > So, anyway, here it is, all the best!!!! > > > IBA CIRCULAR > No.CE/RB-1/vip/1766 > November 18, 2008 > > The Chief Executives of all Member Banks > > Dear Sirs, > > Providing Banking Facilities to Visually Impaired Persons > > We refer to our circular No.CIR/RB/1230 dated February 4, 2006 enclosing > procedural guidelines on the captioned subject. Subsequent to which, we > have > received several representations from visually impaired persons regarding > the > facilities and services being provided by banks and the ground level > difficulties being faced by them. As you are aware, procedural guidelines > were > issued in the context of the order dated September 5, 2005 passed by the > Court > of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, New Delhi regarding > facilities to be provided to visually impaired persons. > > Following complaints from Visually Impaired Persons, the Commissioner for > Persons with Disabilities had again issued an advisory to the Finance > Ministry > and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2008 to take necessary steps to > ensure that visually impaired persons are not denied normal banking > facilities. > > Subsequently, the RBI, vide circular DBOD.No.Leg BC.91/09.07.005/2007-08 > dated > 4th June 2008 advised banks that all banks must render the same services > to > a > visually impaired person as it would to any other person without > discrimination. The Circular stated that the banks, must provide the > visually > impaired with every facility viz., cheque Book facility, ATM facility, net > banking facility, locker facility, retail loans, credit cards etc. > > Following the above RBI circular, we had examined the need to revise the > procedural guidelines issued in February 2006 in consultation with IBA > Sub- > committee on Customer Service and Customer Rights. We also had > interactions > with a Mumbai based voluntary organization working for the welfare of > Impaired > persons. The interactions indicated that technology innovation in the > recent > years had greatly empowered visually impaired persons in leading a normal > life. Technology applications such as screen readers for computers and > mobile > phones, which are being used by the visually impaired persons for > online/net > banking, were demonstrated to us. Visually impaired persons can read and > understand printed documents etc. by first scanning them and then getting > them > read out by the screen reader. > > -//- > > PAGE : 2 : > > Further, we have seen demonstration of finger print technology being > developed > by software firm which would enable banks to store thumb impression of > visually impaired persons in place of signature in their system. Cheques > authenticated by them with thumb impression can be scanned and the image > compared with that stored in the system to honor the cheque. It is > suggested > that when this technology is fully developed and made available in the > market, > banks should consider integrating it with their core banking platform so > that > cheque book facility can be extended to a larger segment of visually > impaired > persons. > > Our attention was also drawn to the United Nations Convention on the > Rights > of > Persons with Disabilities, which clearly commits to rights of persons with > disability and their access to services. Article 9 of the Convention > enables > persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in > all > aspects of life and also gives them access to facilities and services open > or > provided to the public, both in urban and rural areas. Additionally, > Article > 12 states " Parties shall take all appropriate and effective measures to > ensure the equal right of persons with disabilities to own or inherit > property, to control their own financial affairs and to have equal access > to > bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit, and shall > ensure > that persons with disabilities are not arbitrarily deprived of their > property." > > It is expected that the guidelines issued by the RBI would result in an > increase in the number of ATM cards issued to visually impaired persons. > This > would enhance the case for installation of talking ATMs to facilitate > hassle > free operations by visually impaired persons. Banks are requested to > consider > installing talking ATMs wherever feasible. > > Keeping in view the above, we have revised the procedural guidelines for > providing banking facilities to visually impaired persons, copy of which > is > enclosed. While finalizing the document the Sub-Committee took into > consideration that request for ATM facilities, online banking facilities > etc., > would come only from visually impaired persons who are capable of using > the > applications. Members are requested to kindly consider the revised > procedural > guidelines and issue necessary instructions to the operating staff. > > Yours faithfully, > > K Unnikrishnan > Dy. Chief Executive > > Encl:A/a > > PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES FOR BANKING FACILITIES TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS > > I. General Instructions > > Banking facilities for visually impaired persons should be offered at all > branches of the bank. > > Banks should not equate visually impaired customers with illiterate > customers. > > All Banks must provide the same facilities to a visually impaired > customer/prospective customer as it would to any other customer. But at > the > same time the customers should be made aware of the risk involved in some > of > these facilities which may be higher than that for a normal customer. > > Additional facilities like reading and filling up of forms, slips, cheques > should be provided to a visually impaired customer, if required. > > Banks should not deny any services to visually impaired customers > including > visually impaired customers who use their thumb impression for operating > the > bank account. > > A visually impaired customer must not be forced to operate the bank > account > jointly with any person or in the presence of any person. > > Visually impaired customers may be allowed to appoint a person/persons as > their Power of Attorney or Mandate Holder to operate their bank > account > if the visually impaired customer so desires. > > II. Opening of Bank Accounts > > All banking products offered by the bank should be made available to > visually > impaired persons. > > The bank must follow the same procedure for opening the account of a > visually > impaired person as it does for its other customers. > > He / She must be allowed to open the account either singly or jointly with > others. > > The Bank must allow the visually impaired customer to open a joint account > with anybody that he/she chooses including person(s) who is/are visually > impaired. > > The Officer / Manager of the branch should read out the rules of business > and > other terms and conditions in the presence of a witness, if required by > the > customer. > > The bank branch manager must inform a visually impaired > customer/prospective > customer of his rights and liabilities before opening the account. > > The documentation requirements of a visually impaired customer must be the > same as any other customer. > > The account has to be clearly marked as "the account holder is visually > impaired". > > III. Withdrawal of cash / Cheque book facility > > Facilities for withdrawal of cash as are provided to all customers > regarding > cash payments must be provided to visually impaired customers. > > In case a visually impaired customer makes cash withdrawals at the bank > then > the payment must be made in the presence of another bank employee/officer. > No > outside witnesses are required unless the visually impaired customer > requests > that such witnesses be present. > > Operations should not be restricted to self-withdrawals. > > Cheque book facility should not be denied to visually impaired person. > > All procedures pertaining to the use of such cheque books by visually > impaired > customers must be in accordance with that the other customers. > > Cheques issued by visually impaired persons to third parties should be > honoured, if otherwise in order. > > IV. Credit Cards /Debit Cards > > Visually impaired customers must be issued credit cards/debit cards on > request. > > All rules and regulation regarding credit/debit card must be available on > the > web-site of the respective bank in accessible format. These should be read > out > to visually impaired persons and perceived risk factors explained to them. > > Banks may consider issuing Credit/Debit Card with Photograph. This > Photograph > will work as a identification/verification. > > > V. ATM/Debit Cards > > Visually impaired customers must be permitted to avail of ATM facilities. > > Banks should also ensure that the ATMs are accessible to other categories > of > persons with disabilities such as the orthopedically disabled. > > VI. On Line Banking / Mobile Banking and Tele Banking/Phone Banking > > All banks must have Accessible websites and conform to international > accessibility standards. > > All customer facing applications such as web applications, desktop > applications and mobile applications should be accessible to visually > impaired > persons. > > The banks should have alternate methods of user authentication/password > verification. > > All features especially those related to customer security must be > accessible > visually impaired persons. > > VII. Lockers > > Visually impaired customers should be provided with locker facility on > request. > > Suitable lockers conveniently located for operations may be allotted. > > Bank procedures for issuing a locker to a visually impaired customer must > be > the same as to any other customer. > > A visually impaired customer may be given the following options for > operation > of locker: > > Operation - Singly > Operation - Singly with the assistance of a reliable person, as per the > choice > of the Applicant. > Operation - Jointly. > > A visually impaired customer may request the person in-charge of the > locker > to > be present when the locker is opened or to check if nothing has been left > behind or fallen after the locker is closed. > > VIII. Loans > > Loans must be made available to visually impaired customers as are offered > to > other customers and their impairment of vision should not be a criterion > for > sanctioning/denying a loan. > > No additional burden of interest payment, collateral and other terms > should > be > imposed on the visually impaired customer. > > Notice: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and > intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are > addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, use, > review, distribution, printing or copying of the information contained in > this e-mail message and/or attachments to it are strictly prohibited. If > you > have received this email by error, please notify us by return e-mail or > telephone and immediately and permanently delete the message and any > attachments. The recipient should check this email and any attachments for > the presence of viruses. The Bank accepts no liability for any damage > caused > by any virus transmitted by this email. > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] > with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please > visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] > with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please > visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. 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