Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will grace the 17th edition of the FE Best Banks awards in Mumbai as the Chief Guest on Thursday. Shah will address a gathering of corporate chiefs and top bankers and present the awards to the country’s best lending institutions.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will also be present on the occasion.
Shah’s leadership and achievements
One of India’s most distinguished leaders, Shah has made tremendous efforts to make India an ideal business destination and a safe and secure environment. Indeed, Shah has inspired confidence among corporations, both global and local and under his watch as home minister— since May 2019, businesses have flourished. If India has grown to become the world’s fourth-biggest economy, the political stability that Shah has ensured throughout his tenure has played a big part.
Among the minister’s major achievements would have to be the abrogation of Article 370 by which Jammu & Kashmir’s special status was revoked and the holding of peaceful elections thereafter. The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 came into being under his guidance as did The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage), Act, 2019. The overhauling of legal provisions and the creation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is another mammoth achievement.
Shah’s understanding of politics and his tremendous organisational skills have resulted in many electoral successes for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Under his stewardship, the alliance is in power in as many as 21 states.
Awards and recognitions
At the awards ceremony, Shah will be in conversation with Shyamal Majumdar, Editor, Financial Express, and Rishi Raj, Executive Editor, Financial Express, sharing his perspective on the policy reforms and the economy. He will also give away the FE Best Banks Awards, which honour outstanding performances of lenders—banks, non-banking finance companies and fintechs.
The winners, across categories, have been selected by an independent jury headed by S Ramadorai, former Vice-Chairman, Tata Consultancy Services, and comprising Dinesh Khara, former Chairman, State Bank of India; Pradip Shah, chairman, IndAsia Fund Advisors; Amit Chandra, chairperson Bain Capital; and Sharad Sharma, founder, iSPIRT.
The knowledge partner for the award selection process was EY, which collated and presented data from the Reserve Bank of India.
Individuals who have proved they are a cut above the rest and can turn challenges into opportunities will also be felicitated. The Lifetime Achievement Award has been won by Shyam Srinivasan, who transformed Federal Bank from a regional franchise to a lender with a national presence. Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank, has been selected the Banker of the Year for the tremendous turnaround that he pulled off at Axis Bank. Both bankers have exhibited exemplary leadership skills in extremely difficult situations.