Activists invoke RTI to find out the status of RBI’s report on customer service

Committee chairman M Damodaran has not released the report despite it being ready. The query seeks to know the expected date of the release and the time-frame for implementation of recommendations

After a long wait of more than a year, during which many people submitted their recommendations to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) committee on customer services, there is still no sign of the report. Now, an activist has evoked the Right to Information (RTI) Act to find out the status of the report. M Damodaran, chairman of the committee on customer services, has, despite repeated assurances, been sitting on the report. Mumbai-based activists have filed an RTI query with the RBI to get details of the report. The RTI query, a copy of which is available with Moneylife, seeks details such as the number of responses received from the public/NGOs, the time-frame of the submission of the report, the date on which the chairman signed the report, the expected date of release of the report in the public domain, and time-frame for implementation of recommendations. The activist has also sought the date/s when each individual member of the committee signed the report.  In a circular  dated 16 June 2010, the RBI had invited suggestions to be submitted to the Damodaran committee on customer services by 15 July 2010. Mumbai-based chartered accountant Nagesh Kini, who is one of the people who made submissions to the committee, told Moneylife: "Last year, as the per the RBI circular, I made my submissions to the Damodaran committee. The suggestions related mainly to the issues faced by senior citizens. I don't know how many of them have been incorporated in the report since it has not yet been released." The committee was constituted in June last year to review the system of customer service and grievance redressal by banks. The committee was expected to undertake a strict review of the existing system of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme and customer service in banks, including the approach, attitude and fair treatment to customers in retail, small and  pensioners  segments. The committee was also asked to evaluate the existing system of grievance redressal mechanism prevalent in banks, the structure and efficacy, and recommend measures for expeditious resolution of complaints. The report was expected to be released in mid-February, but it has not yet been released. Moneylife has repeatedly written about the report on customer services and that its release has been delayed for unexplained reasons. According to sources, "The report on customer services by the RBI has described solutions to resolve customer issues. The report is believed to be pro-consumer. But the report, despite being ready, has not been released for reasons best known to Mr Damodaran. Even the committee members are unaware of the release date."

Moneycontrol