Page 53 - Banking Finance April 2025
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ARTICLE
Currently, the Govt has focused on producing ethanol from transport sector is one of the biggest contributor to envi-
sugars found in food crops viz sugarcane, maize and rice/ ronmental pollution in the country.
damaged grains. In view of the constraints associated with
the usage of food crops, the Govt may explore producing The Govt of India has taken the right initiative by introduc-
ethanol from alternative sources like agricultural waste, ing various measures to promote ethanol blending in the
including paddy stubble. country. The only thing required now is to keep the momen-
tum going by regularly reviewing the efficacy of the mea-
If ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste, it will sures taken and doing course correction, if required.
also lead to drastic fall in pollution in the country which is References:
often associated with stubble burning, specially in some
Press Information Bureau, GoI
north Indian states
The Mint
To conclude, it can be said that if we are to achieve our tar- Business Standard
get of Net Zero Emission by 2070, we will have to take an The Economic Times
integrated approach to tackle carbon emissions. Blending
Ministry of Petroleum, GoI
ethanol with fossil fuels can be a very potent weapon to
reduce our carbon emissions, considering the fact that road Various Sources in Public Domain
Bandhan Mutual Fund launches Nifty Next 50 Index Fund
Bandhan Mutual Fund announced the launch of the Bandhan Nifty Next 50 Index Fund, an open-ended scheme track-
ing the Nifty Next 50 Index, which comprises the 50 companies ranked just beyond the Nifty 50 in India's top 100
listed stocks. The scheme will be benchmarked against Nifty Next 50 TRI and managed by Nemish Sheth.
The investment objective is to replicate the Nifty Next 50 Index by investing in securities of the Nifty Next 50 Index
in the same proportion/weightage with an aim to provide returns before expenses that track the total return of the
Nifty Next 50 Index, subject to tracking errors. The minimum application amount for lumpsum and additional pur-
chase is Rs 1,000 and in multiples of Re 1 thereafter. For SIP, the minimum amount is Rs 100 and in multiples of Re
1 thereafter with a minimum of six instalments.
Stop masking complaints as requests : RBI governor to banks
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Sanjay Malhotra has pulled up banks and financial institutions for masking
customer complaints by terming them as requests, queries and disputes. Malhotra said this is a gross violation of
RBI norms, and called upon banks to improve in the area of KYC, digital frauds, mis-selling and aggressive recovery
practices.
The governor asked banks to prioritise customer service to maintain consumer trust and address growing grievances.
He was delivering a speech on transforming grievance redressal at the annual conference of the banking Ombuds-
men. In his speech, the governor said that the misclassification of customer comp laints has left many grievances
unaddressed. This is not just a service issue it is a gross regulatory violation, he said, emphasising the need for
banks to correctly categorise complaints and resolve them efficiently to avoid escalation to the RBI Ombudsmen.
Stressing the importan ce of seamless customer experience, he noted, Every complaint is a test of trust.
Malhotra said over one crore complaints were recorded in the past year across 95 scheduled commercial banks, a
figure that may rise as financial services expand. Handling complaints well can define success. Each unresolved
grievance is a missed opportunity to reaffirm customer trust and loyalty, he said, urging banks to treat grievances
as indicators of deeper systemic issues. Advancements in digital banking, including UPI transactions, mobile banking,
and video KYC, have improved accessibility. However, the governor acknowledged that the persistence of issues such
as digital fraud, mis-selling, and aggressive recovery practices continues to undermine consumer confidence.
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