From left Shri R.Shyamsundar, Assistant General Manager, Union Bank of India, Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and members of Sankara Nethralaya
The Union Bank of India has a place of pride among the nationalized banks in the country; it has a large all India network, innovative banking products and has been offering customer friendly service spanning 92 glorious years. It would be noteworthy to mention here that its Chairman and Managing Director Shri D. Sarkar was awarded the prestigious ‘Banker of the Year Award’ for year 2012 in January 2013, by the Skoch Consultancy Services. As a bank with a strong social commitment and a firm belief in giving back to the community, the bank chose ‘Insight’ the highly absorbing biography of Sankara Nethralaya whose sale proceeds go towards providing cost free eye care to visually impaired poor patients, as a corporate gift to its customers and purchased 100 copies of the same as part of its corporate service responsibility.
The Assistant General Manager of the Bank’s Industrial Finance Branch Shri R.Shyamsundar visited the Sankara Nethralaya Main campus on 15th March 2013 and handed over the cheque towards the cost of the books to Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya. Speaking on the occasion Shri R.Shyamsundar recalled that the Union Bank of India was an old friend of Sankara Nethralaya and its founder Dr SS.Badrinath and the purchase of the books was a renewal of their tie with the institution and the man whom they held in high esteem. He explained that the idea of reaching out to the poor and needy by choosing ‘Insight’ as a corporate gifting option and purchasing a good number of the same was the brainchild and initiative of Shri D.Sarkar, Chairman and Managing Director and Shri Ashok Gupta, Field General Manager, Union Bank of India. He expressed the Bank’s pride and happiness in being able to participate in Sankara Nethralaya’s charitable eye care initiatives.
Dr SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya expressed his profuse gratitude on behalf of Sankara Nethralaya and observed that it needs the wholehearted support of philanthropic individuals and corporate bodies like the Union Bank of India to fight its battle against blindness, aimed at banishing blindness from the face of the earth. He added that while the price paid by the bank towards the cost of the books would help in providing cost free eye care comprising transport, food and treatment including surgery to indigent patients, the distribution of the book across 100 plus readers would help in spreading the goals and philosophy of Sankara Nethralaya and win more champions like the Union Bank of India to its cause.