The United Forum of IDBI Officers and Employees has called for a one-day nationwide hunger strike on July 27. This protest is a response to the government's plan to sell its stake in IDBI Bank through the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). The forum expects the sale process to finish by the end of August. Employees are worried that this change will put their jobs and future at risk.

Over the last six years, IDBI Bank has performed very well. It has shown consistent profits and improved its financial health. Because the bank is doing so well, staff members do not understand why the government wants to privatise (sell a government-owned company to private owners) it now. They are especially worried about their pension and social security benefits which they currently enjoy as bank employees.

One major concern is the loss of reservation benefits. Currently, IDBI Bank follows the government's reservation policy (hiring quotas for specific groups). The bank employs 3,070 SC, 1,214 ST, 5,604 OBC, and 805 EWS staff members, along with 884 differently-abled employees. If a private company takes over, these reservation rules will no longer apply. The forum says this will hurt the goal of social justice in employment.

The employees also worry about transparency. Public sector banks are under the watch of the RTI Act (Right to Information), the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and Parliamentary Committees. Once privatised, the bank will move out of this oversight. This could mean less public accountability. The bank currently serves over two crore customers and holds total deposits of more than Rs 3.47 lakh crore.

Bankers are also highlighting their role in social banking. IDBI Bank manages over 18 lakh Jan Dhan accounts and lakhs of enrolments in government insurance schemes like PMSBY and PMJJBY. It also runs Aadhaar Enrolment Centres and rural training institutes. The forum fears that a private owner will focus only on profit and ignore these important social development tasks.

The bank owns valuable assets, including real estate in 21 prime locations worth over Rs 30,000 crore. If sold, IDBI Bank could be the first public sector bank to go into foreign hands. This comes at a time when other banks like Lakshmi Vilas Bank and Catholic Syrian Bank have already seen shifts towards foreign ownership or management.

The forum is now reaching out to political leaders, trade unions, and even groups like the RSS to stop the sale. They claim that privatisation goes against the promises made in Parliament and harms national interest. For Indian bank aspirants and current staff, this situation is important to watch as it sets a precedent (an example for the future) for how the government might handle other public sector banks.