In one of the rare direct appointment offers made by public sector banks, all-India chartered accountancy exam topper Prema Jayakumar has been offered a manager’s position in Indian Bank.
Rare case
Prema’s achievement is creditable as she comes from a family with modest means. Her father, who migrated from Tamil Nadu to Mumbai about two decades ago, is an autorickshaw driver earning a monthly income of about Rs 15,000 to support a family of four.
Vipon Malhotra, General Manager (Mumbai Zone), Indian Bank, handed over the appointment letter to Prema on Thursday.
The Chennai-headquartered Indian Bank has offered her posting at a place of her choice after training.
At a time when companies, Indian and multinational, are willing to pay top dollar to get the young woman to join their ranks, it remains to be seen if Prema will want to make a career with a public sector bank. A manager’s position fetches a salary of around Rs 28,000 a month.
Public sector undertakings, including banks, do away with the formalities of a written exam and interview only in exceptional cases. Indian sportspersons of international standing come under this category.
Felicitations, awards
Prema and her brother, who also cleared the chartered accountancy exam, burned the midnight oil to come out in flying colours.
Meanwhile, political parties in Tamil Nadu are falling over one another to felicitate the young achiever. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh to Prema.
The DMK too announced a Rs 1 lakh reward.