MUMBAI:
Nation’s leading public sector bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB) celebrated the 156th Birth Anniversary of its founding father, Sh. Lala Lajpat Rai at its headquarters in New Delhi. S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao, MD & CEO along with EDs, CVO, senior executives and staff members paid tribute to Sh. Lala Lajpat Rai by garlanding the bust. The MD & CEO also felicitated Aakansha Choudhary, staff member and a well-known Para Shooter for receiving the prestigious Rani Laxmi Bai Award from the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath on 24.01.21. The award is a special scheme by government of Uttar Pradesh for honouring the eminent sportspersons of the state.
Lalaji, fondly remembered as the “The Lion of Punjab,” or “Punjab Kesari” was actively associated with the management of the Bank in its early years. Under his leadership, PNB became the first ‘Swadeshi’ bank ever to begin operations, solely on Indian capital – an impressive credential till date. The founding board was drawn from across India, consisting of different faiths with the common objective of establishing a truly national bank to further the economic interest of the country.
PNB was born on May 19, 1894. The Bank commenced operations on 12th April 1895 in Lahore and Lala Lajpat Rai was the first to open an account with the bank. A pioneer throughout, the bank distinguished itself by appointing auditors in 1895 long before it was mandatory in India. It also introduced the “teller” system in 1944. During 2008-09, the bank achieved the landmark of becoming the largest nationalized bank to bring all branches/extension counters into Core Banking Solution (CBS).
Today, PNB is the leading bank post-merger with erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce and erstwhile United Bank of India. The bank has successfully completed the IT integration of all branches in record time. The bank has a pan India presence with 10,900 plus branches, 1 lakh employees and more than 18 Cr customers.
