New Delhi, August 12(HS): Banking in India is set to become more customer-friendly and linguistically inclusive, with grievances addressed faster than ever before. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated banks to ensure multilingual communication with customers and prompt resolution of their complaints.
Highlighting the apex bank’s commitment to ensuring clarity and convenience for account holders, Chaudhary said that, under RBI’s Master Circular on Customer Service, all scheduled commercial bank branches must provide customer-related information in Hindi, English, and the relevant regional language. Further reinforcing this, RBI’s directive dated September 30, 2024 made it mandatory that all customer interactions be issued in a trilingual format.
Robust Redressal Mechanism Already in Place
The Minister stressed that every bank has a board-approved grievance redressal system. For cases where customer complaints remain unresolved within the specified timelines, the RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBI-IOS), 2021 offers a free platform to lodge grievances against RBI-regulated entities.
Tech-Enabled Feedback for Quality Assurance
Going a step further, the government launched a Feedback Call Centre in June 2022 via the CPGRAMS portal to gauge citizens’ satisfaction after complaint resolution. The feedback data is forwarded to the concerned banks for necessary action.
24×7 Multilingual Helpline for Customers
Since November 2021, the RBI’s toll-free Contact Centre (14448) has been providing assistance for lodging complaints, tracking cases, and navigating the grievance process. Available round-the-clock via IVRS, the centre also offers live interaction with executives from Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 10 PM, in Hindi, English, and 10 regional languages (excluding national holidays).
With these measures, RBI is not only strengthening transparency and accountability in the financial system but also ensuring that banking services in India truly speak the customer’s language — both literally and figuratively.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
