Says Ujwal Thakar, executive vice-president, TimesBank: ``We're launching a customer feedback programme, with an incentive to the customer of making a donation from the bank to Prem Daan.''

The programme is structured to support a cause as well as to understand customers' requirements and views of our services at each of our branches, adds Thakar.

What has been planned by the bank is something like this. The bank customers will have an option of filling out a feedback form which covers all aspects of its service delivered at the branch, through ATMs and telebanking facility, says Thakar. He explains how customers will be motivated to fill out the forms. For every such completely filledfeedback form, TimesBank contributes a sum of Rs 10 to Prem Daan, he says.

Apart from the Rs 10 contribution per form, there's another scheme going at the bank. Says Thakar, ``For the best suggestion of the month, the bank sponsors a child's education for the month, and the customer who has contributed the best suggestion gets a citation.'' According to Thakar, the total contribution by TimesBank to Prem Daan is likely to be about Rs 2 lakh in six months.

Plus, the bank is planning to include an article on Prem Daan in the in-house newsletter. Also, it will forward all its donations to this organisation. Among other initiatives, TimesBank has offered Prem Daan an account at the bank, where customers can transfer funds as donations for the organisation.

The bank's efforts on this front are significant because Prem Daan is all about caring for the underprivileged. Prem Daan runs three schools exclusively for the children of the pavement, slum dwellers and domestics. These schools accommodate over 200children and provide education at nursery and kindergarten level. Thereafter, the Prem Daan schools prepare these children to face the entrance examination of any recognised school.But that's not the end of story. Even after these children are in a new school, the organisation provides them with uniforms, stationery, books and transport. And it's like Prem Daan is their second home for good. Even to do their homework, these children come back to the Prem Daan school everyday, as most of their parents are illiterate.

While studying at Prem Daan school, the children get a free breakfast and lunch. An evening meal is also provided to over 30 families with the untouched food collected from five star hotels.

There's recreation too. Prem Daan conducts holiday camps twice a year. Called `fresh air camps', these are generally held in Khandala for about eight days.

Believe it or not, there have been results. Many of the Prem Daan students have performed well and are now pursuing successful careers.One suchexample is of a student who is now studying Dentistry at Howard Dental College, Washington.