Shadow Correspondent
Samba, AUG 22:
District Election Officer (DEO), Samba today sought strict adherence by banks to the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines during the upcoming elections.
The DEO was chairing a meeting of senior officials and representatives from all banks operating in the district. Present at the meeting were Additional Deputy Commissioner, General Manager of the District Industries Centre (DIC), District Treasury Officer, Lead District Manager, Cluster Head of J&K Bank/ JCC/PNB, and representatives from various other banks including JK Grameen Bank, HDFC, ICICI, Canara Bank and others.
The District Election Officer emphasized the critical role of banks in ensuring a fair, transparent, and corruption-free election process. Several key issues were discussed during the meeting with regard to cash transactions in the light of ECI guidelines.
The District Nodal Officer (Election Expenditure Monitoring) provided a detailed presentation on the ECI guidelines and the importance of compliance by the banking sector. The session also included discussions on the ceiling for cash transactions and withdrawal limits as per ECI norms.
Stress was laid on Monitoring and Reporting of Cash Withdrawals. Banks were instructed to closely monitor and report any significant cash withdrawals that may be flagged for political affiliations or election campaign purposes. Flagging enforcement of Transaction Limits as a crucial step, the banks were asked to promptly report any daily transaction exceeding ?10 lakh, as per the ECI guidelines.
Collaboration with the DEO: Banks were encouraged to work in close coordination with the District Election Officer for timely reporting and verification of any suspicious transactions.
The banks were further sensitized about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for ATM Cash Transportation: They were asked to strictly adhere to the SOPs for transporting cash through ATM vans during the election period.
Further instructions were issued by the DEO to ensure strict monitoring within bank branches, including the implementation of internal reporting systems, scheduling regular joint meetings with the DEO, and assigning a point of contact within each bank for election-related inquiries.
The meeting concluded with a collective commitment from all participants to uphold the integrity of the election process, ensuring free and fair elections in Samba district.
