Information Technology (IT) holds the key to kick-starting a revolution in banking, said Radha Unni, chief general manager, State Bank of India, here.

She was inaugurating a national conference on `Braving new frontiers in banking,’ organised by the ICFAI Business School, here.

She called for standardisation across banks and appealed to them to take the services to the doorsteps of the customers for financial inclusion.

Anoop Narayanan, security consultant, First Legion Consulting, said human fraud, incompetence and errors made the implementation of new technologies difficult. He also spoke on information leaks and the cultural factors involved.

Punjab National Bank senior manager Guru Murthy spoke on the implementation of core banking solution. He provided an overview of the technologies used in mid-level interactions, in the back offices and in internal monitoring and reports.

K.A. Joseph, managing director, Kerala Venture Capital, summarised the session on IT in banking by providing an overview of mobile Internet banking. He said that IT should equip bankers to convert future threats into opportunities.

A.K. Basu, general manager, State Bank of Travancore, spoke on private banking. He highlighted the various challenges faced in private banking.

Ommen Jacob, regional sales manager, ICICI Bank, said the challenge before private bankers was to provide their customers with the best service in the industry. He spoke about the four R’s of private banking: reach, relationship, research and resource. It was only by investing in them in favour of customer needs could the banks achieve their goals.

A.V. Anil, branch manager, Kotak Mahindra Bank, focussed on the services provided by private banking and also gave a brief picture of the challenges faced such as high client expectations, higher fixed costs and so on. Padma Kumar, former chairman and managing director of Federal Bank, stressed the need for private banking. He said that as the interest rates had reduced, people did not just invest in banks; they had more options.

Private banking should aim at providing products for wealth management to all sections of society for financial inclusion.

Cherian Varghese, former chairman and managing director, Union Bank of India, spoke on retail banking and the various norms issued by RBI regarding it.

V.P. Roshan, branch head, IDBI Bank, gave an overview of how banks operated, the importance of retail banking.

The members of the Indian School of Mines (ISM), Karmachari Sangh, have launched a protest against the attitude of apathy on the direction towards a psychological harassment complaint.

The complaint was lodged by a woman writer, 34 years, Nanki Kerketta against Gurpreet Singh, director of the division of the center of the mining industry on the Environment (CME) in the ISM.

Karketta, an employee working in the ISM 16 years, alleged in a written complaint to the Director of the ISM, in the April 11 2004, Singh had stopped their lunch out of time within the Office. Later, he had marked their absence in the second half.

The next day, Karketta Singh has apologised to staff for his behaviour.

However, he started the exhibition show their opinion because everyday on frivolen reasons, “said Raju Rajak, the chairman of the ISM Karmachari Sangh.

Kerketta told that Singh had a confidential report on their incompetence.

? Probably, it was a concept to bow before his unjustified (sexual) advances that their rebuttal to leave sooner had badly? Rajak said.

The Karmachari Sangh gave the 13 points on complaints ISM authorities.

You have said, if their demands are taken into account, it would give shape to a great quarrel between officers and school authorities.

Raju Rajak said that a committee would be formed immediately an independent investigation, as any delay is even more afraid Karketta.

It remains the only ISM residential colony as her husband has a job to Ranchi.