Effective implementation of reservation policies and welfare measures across public financial institutions by strengthening institutional capacity key objectives of workshop

The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, DFS organised a two-day workshop on 27-28 February 2026 at the Bank of Baroda (BoB) Academy, Ahmedabad. The workshop was on the implementation of the Government of India's Reservation Policy in Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Public Sector Insurance Companies (PSICs), Sectoral Regulators and Public Financial Institutions (PFIs), along with measures to enhance accessibility of financial services for Divyangjans (Persons with Disabilities).

The workshop was organised with the objective of strengthening institutional capacity to ensure uniform and effective implementation of reservation policies and welfare measures across public financial institutions. It also reaffirmed the Government's commitment in promoting inclusivity and equitable access to financial services.

The workshop was attended by senior functionaries from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), representatives from all 12 Public Sector Banks, 7 Public Sector Insurance Companies and 7 Public Sector Financial Institutions.

Under the Sugamya Bharat initiative, a sensitisation session was conducted on accessibility standards and compliance requirements. This was followed by a roundtable discussion on legal provisions relating to accessibility, with participants deliberating on practical challenges, expectations versus ground realities, and sharing best practices for enhancing accessibility across institutions.

The workshop concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, allowing participants to deliberate on operational challenges and actionable measures to further strengthen inclusivity, accessibility and uniform implementation of reservation policies across the financial services ecosystem.

Reservation policy implementation strengthened across public financial institutions to improve accessibility and uniform compliance measures. Strengthening institutional capacity for uniform implementation of the Government of India's reservation policy across public financial institutions and enhancing accessibility for Persons with Disabilities were the primary objectives. The programme combined a Sugamya Bharat sensitisation session on accessibility standards and compliance requirements, a roundtable on legal provisions and practical challenges, exchange of best practices, and an interactive question-and-answer session to identify operational measures for inclusivity, accessibility and reservation policy compliance.