by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, March 2024: On International Women’s Day, Punjab National Bank (PNB), nation’s leading public sector bank, reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion as well as honoured the invaluable contributions made by women to both the organisation and society as a whole. The celebration took place at PNB’s Corporate Office in New Delhi and was graced by Chief Guest Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu, the first Indian woman to ski from coast of Antarctica to South Pole, PNB Executive Directors – Shri Kalyan Kumar, Shri Binod Kumar and Shri Bibhu Prasad Mahapatra, and CVO Shri Raghvendra Kumar along with PNB staff members.
Addressing the august audience, Chief Guest Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu shared her life journey and spoke how success can be achieved through hard work, perseverance, and passion; and encouraged the audience on the incredible potential that each one of them have within themselves.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kalyan Kumar, Executive Director, PNB, said: “Women have played vital roles in the upliftment of communities throughout history – be it during the freedom struggle or in modern times. They have also made significant contributions across various spheres of life, spanning from science and technology to politics, literature, arts, and more. Yet, they are often underrepresented in senior leadership positions. Cultural expectations and societal norms regarding domestic duties has disproportionately affected women, creating greater challenges in balancing work and family responsibilities that has inadvertently led to career interruptions or reduced opportunities for advancement. To overcome this challenge, we have introduced a Leadership Programme (Jagruti) for our PNB women staff who can interact and get mentored by renowned women leaders. We have also introduced other HR-related initiatives for women across our branches such as childcare facility in the office premise, transfer policy which enables women to be closer to home, gender diversity policy, among others.”
“The UN campaign theme – Inspire Inclusion – serves as a reminder that organisations can harness the full potential of their diverse workforce, drive innovation, and create a culture where everyone feels empowered to thrive and succeed. At PNB, we are committed to nurture an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. We believe in maintaining a work-life balance as it is essential for promoting physical and mental health, enhancing productivity and creativity, fostering positive relationships, improving workplace culture, and ensuring long-term sustainability and success for individuals and organisations alike,” added PNB ED.
To support the women customers further, PNB has introduced “PNB MATRITVA” – a new variant of Personal Loan designed for salaried women – that will cover hospital expenses during and after childbirth.
Other financial services that PNB offers to promote financial inclusion and empower women include vehicle loans (PNB Power Ride Scheme) and education loans (PNB Saraswati, PNB Kaushal and PNB Udaan).
As part of the celebrations, PNB, in collaboration with PNB PRERNA, an association comprising of senior women officials of the bank and the wives of senior bank officials whose primary goal is to support and promote the bank’s CSR efforts, donated a cheque to Cancer Awareness, Prevention and Early Detection (CAPED) Trust for creating Cervical Cancer Awareness workshops. PNB also extended its support to N.S. Educational and Charitable Society which supports women & children through their initiative ‘Maika’.
