Namak Haraam

http://www.youtube.com/v/TBt1f5XxOtw?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=PpVBGqK9ovmwUpc3RIVoOQ

Here is the full movie Namak Haraam! To watch it leisurely!!

Namak Haraam - Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna Super Hit Film

http://www.youtube.com/v/IvO1JrvF10s?version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=n3Hz5iaYx8gi0YdzZMJFHw&showinfo=1

A super hit movie from Hrishikesh Da with Amitabh, Rajesh Khanna, AK Hangal, Rekha, Asrani, et al.  The central theme is on friendship but also covers romance, labour relations, trade unionism, etc with full of action and songs.  It was also the first film for Raza Muraad. This movie turned Amitabh in to a new super star overtaking Rajesh Khanna....

Two Weeks Three Countries Vacation 2013

Certainly it was a necessary break to have availed of a fortnight's vacation and trip to the three South East Asian countries viz., Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand with two of my family members (wife and daughter) during the Dussera vacation between Oct 12 and 23.  It was a good travel experience to me too to see the cities of Kuala Lumpur and Genting in Malaysia, Singapore and Pattaya / Bangkok in Thailand.  The civilisation and development in these places as also the Buddhist and Chinese Temples plus Entertainment Parks are worth experiencing.  I would love to upload some photographs in course of time.

New Gen Banks and their performance

The new era of economic and financial sector reforms in India has seen introduction of prudential norms for the banking system in March 1993.  Definition of NPAs was introduced then besides, CAR and later Asset Liability Management!  Later, NPA definition was changed 3 more times to bring down to 3 months or 90 days dues as the norm on par with global standards.  Almost all the banks took some time to re-adjust to all the developments and re-tune to Basel I and II standards.  Technology intervention and trend towards more of retail banking also put the banking system under severe stress with deregulation of interest rates.  One silver lining in the reforms was that SLR and CRR rates were brought down from the peak levels of about 39 and 15 percent, thus enabling the banking system to carry out competitive business to earn profits and become productive, simultaneous with increasing their reach and competing with new generation banks.

In all, 11 new banks were allowed on different dates the last such step being licencing of YES Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank in 2002-03.  The one interesting fact is that even among the new banks, four were forced to merge with other banks within a very short time of their functioning.  These are Bank of Punjab, Centurion Bank, Global Trust Bank and Times Bank.  One needs to focus on their working separately to study and conclude the effectiveness of new private banks in the Indian Financial System.  

Global Finance : World's Best Banks 2013

World's Best Banks 2013 : Annual Survey

May 2013 issue of Global Finance magazine carries the results of annual survey of World's best banks.  The contents furnish country-wise and continent-wise names of best banks for 2013.  Asia shows HSBC Bank while India has HDFC Bank as the best bank.  No physical data on business etc are given but only description from the Chiefs of respective banks. 

A Profile of Banks 2012-13 from RBI

A Profile of Banks : RBI

This is an annual exercise carried out by the regulator in India viz., RBI. This 100 page document was released by the central banker on Sept 30, 2013 containing some useful and standard data of all types of banks in India - SB Group (SBI and 5 associate), Nationalised Banks (20), Old and New Private Banks (13 + 7) and 43 Foreign Banks operating in India.  It is possible that some names of these foreign banks might have not been heard by most of us while those popular ones are operating only in metro cities.  The data is for past five years ie., 2008-09 to 2012-13 and gives a critical and comparative picture that could be analysed as to the growth, productivity, efficiency and profitability of all these types of banks.

The complete canvas of banking in India comprises of three more types of banks viz., Cooperative Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Local Area Banks.  The two former banks have their own role to play in rural development and financing.  The Financial Services Sector, of course, will be more comprehensive if we include Microfinance Institutions, Non-Banking Finance Companies, Mutual Benefit Companies, etc. But, we need to be contented with the limited but authentic information available to move on.

ATMs, WLAs, POS, CDMs, etc

ATMs in India have been in use for past 25 years and are in increasing trend now.  Their total number (1,34,000 approx) has certainly surpassed that of the total of bank branches.  About 25% of ATMs are stated to be in rural and semi-urban areas now.  Thanks to RBI policy of permitting White Label ATMs to be operated by NBFCs, offering of basic banking services are looking up through these ATMs.  And of late, we have been hearing about Point of Sales facility as also Cash Dispensing Machines. Though not directly or in full, the issues pertaining to Financial Inclusion are also being met simultaneously with the expansion of bank branches, ATMs and licencing of new banks in private sector.  Banking in India in the year 2020 may be entirely different from now, thanks to technology and conscious expansion policies of RBI and GOI.