Hyderabad, December 17: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) looking for a bride or someone to pay their bills or file their tax returns can now call up the State Bank of India (SBI). The public sector branch is making a big push to provide non-banking personal services to its NRI customers.
Launching a slew of non-banking services, SBI officials said all it takes for an NRI to access these services is a telephone call or an email to the concerned facilitation centre where personnel will deliver the required service within a stipulated period. There will be no service cost.
The non-banking services offered include filing of income tax returns, PAN card, passport, payment of utility bills, reservation of tickets (train, air, movie), real estate processing and legal and tax consultancy.
They can even send flowers, cards, documents, books to their friends and family back home, or even arrange medical services for their parents.
SBI deputy managing director Shiva Kumar said this is a first-ofits- kind service which will duly be extended to customers across Andhra Pradesh.
So how will SBI find a bride for someone living in Spokane, Washington? Explaining the bank’s matrimonial service, Shiva Kumar said details of NRI customers looking for matches will be uploaded in a database.
Based on the requirements of the customer, male or female, details of prospective grooms/brides will be mailed to them. But Shiva Kumar hastened to add, “It will be the responsibility of the customer to verify the credentials of the prospective match.” The premier public sector bank has been branching out into several innovative schemes in recent months, including the highly successful SMS Unhappy service. It is currently to planning to start an exclusive bank for women called Vasundara. The concept has already been tried out in Lucknow which it proved to be extremely successful. Only women can open an account in Vasundara.
Dr Prasad Kaipa, executive director of the Centre for Leadership, Innovation and Change, inaugurated the SBI’s NRI branch at Koti in Hyderabad.
–Agencies