Announcing the results, SBI Bhubaneswar circle chief general manager VV Warty told reporters on Wednesday that total deposits have increased by Rs 52 crore to Rs 3,595 crore from Rs 3,543 crore. Total advances have increased by 9.22 per cent to Rs 1,883 crore from Rs 1,724 crore. Besides registering growth in all areas of business, the circle has reported improvement in all parameters like business per employee, profit per employee and expenses ration, Warty said. While business per employee has increased to Rs 53.58 lakh from Rs 50 lakh, profit per employee has increased to Rs 51,000 from Rs 29,000. However, expenses ration has declined to 75 per cent, from 85 per cent.

Stating that SBI is preparing itself to withstand theonslaught of private and multinational banks, Warty said the bank proposes to computerise 27 branches this fiscal to take the total of fully computerised branches to 89 in the state. Plans are afoot to introduce more commercial-network branches for speedier dispension of credit to high value units. It has eight fully-automated commercial-network branches working in Orissa, handling Rs 700-crore high-value loan portfolio.

Warty said the bank is planning to install more ATMs in Orissa to provide more facilities to customers. The second ATM in Bhubaneswar has been installed at the Biju Patnaik Airport.

The chief general manager said SBI will launch Gold Banking in Orissa very soon. The Bhubaneswar main branch has been identified as a wholesale/link branch and the Bapuji Nagar (Bhubaneswar) and Buxi Bazar (Cuttack) branches for retail sale of gold.

Stating that SBI has been authorised to mobilise domestic gold through the Gold Bond scheme, general manager (D&PB) JK Puranik said the modalities of the schemeare being worked out to launch it at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.