Vijaya Bank to open 15 gen next branches

September 4, 2011

Mangalore, September 4: Vijaya Bank Chairman and Managing Director H S Upendra Kamath said that the bank is planning to open about 12 to 15 Gen Next bank branches in this financial year.

Speaking to presspersons here on Saturday, Gen Next braches are exclusely for those youth who do not have time to attend the banking system. In the Centre, all banking transactions are carried out through teller machines. This is an attempt to attract tech savy youth.

Financial inclusion

The CMD said: “We have been allotted 408 villages and have completed the process in 260 villages under financial inclusion. We are planning to complete the process of financial inclusion in all the targetted villages above 2000 population before January 2012. In fact, we have started credit linking of those needy persons who are included under financial inclusion.” Loans worth Rs 21 lakh was disbursed under credit linking to the villagers of Keyur in Kumbra (Puttur) in Dakshina Kannada on Saturday, he added.

The Bank is also planning to open five to eight Micro Financing branches to meet the credit requirements of urban population under financial inclusion. The micro financing branches are helpful in undertaking poverty alleviation programmes, he added.

Branches

The CMD said that bank is planning to open 100 new branches and 250 ATMs across the country during the current year. Most of the branches and ATMs will be opened on 80th Founders' Day of the bank, i.e, on October 23.

Target

He said the bank aims to reach a business level of Rs 1,53,000 crore, with a y-o-y growth of about 25 per cent. To sustain the tempo of credit growth with focus on retail, he said revamped RACPC (Retail Asset Credit Processing Cell) and newly opened SME cells will give added thrust to retail asset growth. Five more Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises centralised processing centres will be started in 2011-12.

The Bank will continue thrust on maintaining the yield on advances by encouraging retail lending, credit to SSI/SME segment, agriculture and infrastructure sectors. The bank plans to contain the net Non Performing Assets (NPA) to be within 1 per cent (present 1.65%). The bank has fully adopted a system-driven NPA identification process, he informed.

Special campaign will be started for adding retail clients both on assets and liabilities side. The Bank has started cash incentive scheme to enthuse all employees of the bank to participate in the loan recovery process.

“We organise one recovery camp in a week in any of the branches,” Kamath added. 'Saving Utsav' will be launched in all the branches from October 1.

He said emphasis will be given on mobilising low cost deposits / core term deposits to improve share of low cost deposit and to reduce the dependence on bulk deposits.

Stating that Vijaya Rural Development Foundation will go on outreach programme by opening new VDC, he said new schemes are implemented as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Kamath said the bank would increase CASA (current account savings account) share to 27 per cent by March, 2012. In 2010-11, CASA registered a growth of 21.32 per cent, the share being 25.25 per cent of total deposits.

The Vijaya Bank has reached a total business of Rs 127000 crore.

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No cases yet, but vigilance high: Karnataka braces for Nipah threat

News Network

February 3,2026

Bengaluru: Following reports of fresh Nipah virus (NiV) cases in West Bengal and heightened vigilance across parts of Southeast Asia, the Karnataka Health Department has placed the state on high alert and activated emergency preparedness protocols.

Health officials said enhanced surveillance measures have been initiated after two healthcare workers in Barasat, West Bengal, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While no cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, authorities said the state’s past exposure to Nipah outbreaks and high inter-state mobility warranted preventive action.

Officials have directed district health teams to intensify monitoring, particularly at hospitals and points of entry, and to ensure early detection and isolation of suspected cases.

High Mortality Virus with Multiple Transmission Routes

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans and has a reported fatality rate ranging between 60 and 75 per cent. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoirs of the virus and can transmit it by contaminating food sources with saliva or urine.

Known modes of transmission include:

•   Contaminated food: Consumption of fruits partially eaten by bats or raw date-palm sap
•   Animal contact: Exposure to infected pigs or other animals
•   Human-to-human transmission: Close contact with body fluids of infected persons, particularly in healthcare settings

Symptoms and Disease Progression

The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, though delayed onset has also been reported. Early symptoms often resemble common viral infections, making prompt clinical suspicion critical.

•   Initial symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, sore throat
•   Progressive symptoms: Drowsiness, disorientation, altered mental state
•   Severe stage: Seizures, neck stiffness and acute encephalitis, which can rapidly progress to coma

Public Health Advisory

The Health Department has issued precautionary guidelines urging the public to adopt risk-avoidance practices to prevent any local spillover.

Do’s
•   Wash fruits thoroughly before consumption
•   Drink boiled and cooled water
•   Use protective equipment while handling livestock
•   Maintain strict hand hygiene

Don’ts
•   Avoid fruits found on the ground or showing bite marks
•   Do not consume beverages made from raw tree sap, including toddy
•   Avoid areas with dense bat populations
•   Do not handle sick or dead animals

Preparedness Measures

Officials confirmed that isolation wards are being readied in major government hospitals and that medical staff are being sensitised to identify early warning signs.

“There is no cause for panic, but there is a need for heightened vigilance,” a senior health official said, adding that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah, and care remains largely supportive.

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