Mangalore : Corporation Bank celebrated its 109th Foundation Day, at Dr TMA Pai International Convention Centre in the city on March 12, wednesday . On the occasion, Shri S R Bansal, Chairman & Managing Director of the Bank declared open 109 branches and 109 ATMs of the Bank, launched “e-Passbook” and “Corp Global Card – A Pre-paid Forex Travel Card”. The 150th issue of house journal – Kshema was also released on the occasion, besides CSR Activities for the underprivileged among others at a function organized at Dr. T M A Pai International Convention Centre in Mangalore. Shri Amar Lal Daultani and Shri B K Srivastav, Executive Directors, Directors of Corporation Bank and other Dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The Bank’s 2009th Branch was inaugurated at unbanked village Muthur in Dakshina Kannada District in Karnataka during the day. The evening function started by paying floral tribute to the Bank’s Founder Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur and declaring open 109 branches & 109 ATMs across the country on the occasion.

For customer convenience and as part of green initiative, the Bank launched digital passbook named as “Corp e-Passbook”. The Corp e-Passbook is launched on the Android platform and it will soon be extended to IOS and Windows platforms. It allows the customer to download and view the transactions of the account(s) in the mobile. The user can access the Corp e-Passbook with the Internet user ID and the registered mobile number and generate a PIN. Subsequent access to the Corp e- Passbook will be by using the PIN alone. The e-Passbook will have the facility of real-time/online updation of the customer account. It can be viewed both online and offline. It is a passbook facility for multiple accounts – i.e., the customer can download and view all his running accounts separately and it is also single repository for accounts across branches.

Shri Bansal launched the “Corp Global Card” – a pre-paid Forex Travel Card for the discerning global traveller. The innovative product is partnered with Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. a leading travel and travel related financial services company in collaboration with MasterCard Worldwide. The Corp Global Card is an EMV chip and pin, multi currency pre-paid card in foreign currency which empowers the traveller to load in eight different currencies (US Dollars, Great Britain Pounds, Euro, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, Singapore Dollar, Australian Dollar and Japanese Yen) on a single card. The card can be used at all ATMs that accepts MasterCard across the globe for cash withdrawal in foreign currency and at all Member establishments that accept MasterCard for purchase of goods and services and for E-Commerce for purchase in foreign currency. The card enhances convenience, augment the security and add to the ease of the traveller when they visit foreign destinations.

The Bank publishes its quarterly in-house journal “Kshema” for its employees since 1976. The publication completed 149 issues and the 150th Issue of the publication was released on the occasion of the Foundation Day by Shri S R Bansal. Since its inception, ‘Kshema’ has been a medium of expression and continues to offer a creative forum to the employees to express and exhibit their literary and creative talents. Also “e-Kshema”, the electronic version of Kshema was launched as a part of the Bank’s Go Green initiative.

Corporation Bank is always in the forefront in discharging its duty as a responsible corporate citizen. It has set up a wing named “Corp Kiran” – An association of Wives of Senior Executives of Corporation Bank under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for undertaking CSR activities for the underprivileged. The Bank extended its financial support to four institutions from Mangalore. The institutions are – Mangala Seva Samithi Trust, Kuttarapadavu – An orphanage taking care of 95 children. “White Doves”, Matadakani Road – running two homes in Mangalore for the destitute having 98 inmates. School for the Blind, Bejai, – a residential school for the blind, having 39 students and St. Agnes Special School providing education to physically / mentally challenged children having 275 students.

The function was followed by a Musical Jugalbandi by Pandit Ronu Majumdar on Flute, Ustad Rafique Khan on Sitar and Ustad Fazal Quereshi on Tabla. The musicians enchanted the listeners with their performance which gripped the audience for 45 minutes.The melodious jugalbandi was an unforgettable treat for the connoisseurs of Hindustani Classical Music.

The Jugalbandi was followed by the staging of Award winning Kannada Play “Promotion Prasanga”. It is a well known Kannada play written by Nataka Academy Life Time Achievement Award winner – 2008, Shri Rajendra Karanth. More than 15 troupes have performed more than 500 shows of this play. The Bank’s Drama troupe had won five awards for this play in 1995 in a state level drama competition. The comedy play revolving around a character who desperately wanted a promotion was very entertaining. The audience enjoyed the hilarious lines and the Kannada play touched and enthused the audience. The end result of the enchanting Foundation Day function followed by the musical jugalbandi and Kannada play organized by the Bank was an evening to be remembered.