I would like to narrate my experience as a Singapore citizen with a PIO card now living in Coimbatore. I went to the State Bank of India branch near my home to get a savings account opened. I was soon greeted by an officer and I stated my need. The immediate reply was: “We have a backlog of cases and a lot of pending work as the Prime Minister has said each household must have a bank account. Also, LPG companies are offering direct cash transfer as part of subsidies and we have this work too.” I was told to come back after 15 days. It gave me a taste of India’s bureaucracy and the attitude of public sector staff. One needs to ask the Prime Minister this: if an NRI finds it so difficult to open a simple bank account, how can he be successful in his “Make in India” campaign or in attracting foreign investment?
Ramnarayan Natarajan,
Coimbatore
