CUK signs MoU with J&K Bank

SRINAGAR — Forging ahead in its mission of Industry Academia partnership for collaborative cross pollination of knowledge and resources, J&K Bank today entered into an MOU with the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) whereby both conferred the preferential status on each other in their banker-customer relationship.

The MOU was signed post inauguration of the Bank’s ATM in CUK’s Green Campus jointly by the Chairman and CEO J&K Bank, Parvez Ahmed and Vice Chancellor CUK, Mehrajud Din Mir in presence of Bank’s Executive Presidents, P K Tickoo and R K Chhiber, President, Rakesh Gandotra, Zonal Head Syed Rais Maqbool, Registrar CUK Dr Fayaz Ahmad Nikka, Director R&D Prof Abdul Gani, Dean Business School Farooq Ahmad Shah, Controller Exams Parveena Pandit besides other senior officials of the Bank, faculty & administrative staff of the CUK besides a large gathering of students.

The Chairman and CEO J&K Bank was also felicitated by the Vice Chancellor, who described him as visionary leader of a dedicated and committed team of employees.

Commending the leadership of the Bank, the Vice Chancellor said, “We have special weakness for this bank because it is also the major employer for the people of J&K state and has played a vital role in employment of bright and meritorious youth of the state.”

“Our state is a beneficiary of the digital transformation wherein the bank has adopted modern technology not only in its day to day functioning but also by launching state of the art digital products for the people of the state. I feel proud to see the bank forging ahead under the able leadership of Chairman Parvez Ahmed who is working passionately and has brought a new dimension to the functioning of the bank,” he said.

On the occasion, the VC CUK Professor Mehrajud Din also offered a piece of land to the bank at the University’s Tulmulla Campus for building a full-fledged branch.

The bank offered to create a digital lobby at the University’s permanent campus. A 32-seater passenger bus was dedicated by the Bank for student welfare to the University under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman said, “The core objective of the Central University of Kashmir which is working for the upliftment of the humanity at large is in perfect alignment to the J&K Bank’s vision of serving to empower each and every individual for economic upliftment.”

“The signing of the MOU is the beginning of a mutual relationship which goes well beyond business but will also herald a benefice cycle for the students and society in this region by collaborative pooling of resources,” he added.

The chairman advised the students about inculcating continuous learning as a way of life for bridging the gap between education and dynamic employability skills.

On the challenges before the business leaders he said, ”In this era of fast changing world full of uncertainties, the companies which do not focus on the well-defined triple bottom line of economic, environmental and social goals simultaneously will be rendered irrelevant. So let us inculcate in our future leaders in this hall that business has a responsibility beyond its basic responsibility to its shareholders; a responsibility to a broader constituency that includes its key stakeholders: customers, employees, government – the people of the communities in which it operates.”

“The business leaders have to appreciate that profitable growth depends on the economic, environmental and social sustainability of our communities and it is in our best interests to contribute to the sustainability of our people” asserted Parvez Ahmed.

He added, “There is extreme interdependency of domains and inter-disciplinary skills are required which can help creatively identify opportunities and get tasks done.”

The chairman urged upon the University to introduce curriculum for instilling a culture of entrepreneurship and start-ups in the state.

Chairman also interacted with the students from MBA, M.Com and MTM departments of the University wherein in a freewheeling discussion he answered queries on turnaround of the bank, change management, human capital issues and challenges, start-up ecosystem, corporate social responsibility, role of fintech, succession planning, continuous learning etc.

On the request of the students, the chairman also announced his support for the setting up of an incubator in the Central University of Kashmir.

The Bank’s Executive President P K Tickoo, who also spoke on the occasion, described the signing of MOUs as coming together of two power houses in academics and finance in J&K state.

Executive President R K Chhiber lauded the initiatives of the CUK for building a knowledge based society.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Registrar CUK Fayaz Ahmad Nikka said that since social change was the common mission of both Bank and the University, therefore their coming together was a milestone for both.

On the occasion, audio-visual presentations were given on digital banking and products like e-Banking, Credit Card, BHIM Application, Multi-currency Card besides co-branded Campus Card.

The function concluded with Vote of Thanks presented by the bank’s Zonal Head Syed Rais Maqbool.

Later in the day, the Chairman & CEO J&K Bank visited the central library along with the VC CUK and it was mutually agreed to launch bank’s multi utility RFID enabled campus card integrated for debit cum identity, attendance and library systems in the Central University of Kashmir.