Since the inception of the SAARCFINANCE, a good number of officers visited various institutions of member countries under Staff Exchange Program (Table 1). The matters of the Staff Exchange covered a broad range of issues. Considering the effectiveness of the Staff Exchange, matter of cost sharing is left entirely to the country concerned.

Table 1: SAARCFINANCE Staff Exchange Programmes During September 1998 - June 2009

RBI: Reserve Bank of India CBSL: Central Bank of Sri Lanka
SBP: State Bank of Pakistan NRB: Nepal Rastra Bank BB: Bangladesh Bank

During July – December 2009, many officers visited various institutions of member countries under Staff Exchange Programme (Table 2). The matters of the Staff Exchange covered a broad range of issues such as internal auditing, payment & settlement systems of central banks etc.

Table 2: SAARCFINANCE Staff Exchange Programmes during July – December 2009

RBI: Reserve Bank of India CBSL: Central Bank of Sri Lanka
SBP: State Bank of Pakistan NRB: Nepal Rastra Bank BB: Bangladesh Bank

Specific Programs

1. Eighteen Office Assistants from Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) of Bhutan attended a weeklong training programme on Office Assistant Techniques and Skills at the RBI’s Zonal Training Centre in Kolkata during 06-10 July, 2009.
2. Assistant Currency officer of the RMA, accompanied by an official from Information Technology Division visited RBI’s Currency Management Department in Mumbai during 10-12 August 2009.
3. Training Programme on "Effective Management of Office Life" was organised by the Zonal Training Centre, RBI, Kolkata during 6 – 10 July 2009 for a team of 18 representatives from the RMA.
4. The International Programme on ‘Restructuring and Strengthening Rural Finance Institutions’ was held during 20 – 24 July 2009 at College of Agricultural Banking (CAB) Pune, India. The programme focused on:
   1. i) Apprising the participants with the analytical tools for business planning in the process of restructuring and strengthening agricultural/rural financial institutions and
   2. ii) Providing inputs for conducting efficient business operations with a view to achieving self-sustainability, cost effectiveness and profitability.
5. Four members from NRB and one officer from Bangladesh Bank attended the programme besides Executives/officers of Rural Financing Institutions from India.
6. Shri Rajib Das, Director and Ms. Indrani Manna, Research Officer, RBI presented a joint paper titled ‘Global Events and Economic Growth’ at the 2nd International Research Conference organised by Central Bank of Sri Lanka on 14 December 2009 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
7. A team of Maldives Monetary Authority headed by Ms. Aishath Zahira, Deputy Governor, MMA attended a study tour during 7 – 10 July 2009 at CBSL. The main purpose of the study tour was to study and observe formulation of the monetary policy in CBSL. The tour also aimed to assist the staff of the MMA in developing a work program to conduct open market operations; to assess the types of IT systems in place in
8. Mr. Pradhumna Kumar Bhattarai, Director, NRB attended International Seminar on "Regional Economic and Financial Monitoring in South Asia" organized by Centre for Banking Studies, Central Bank of Sri Lanka during 14-19 September 2009 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
9. A team of five officers of the MMA including the Deputy Governor made a study tour to CBSL during 7 – 10 July 2009 with the purpose of studying and observing how the monetary policy is formulated in CBSL.
10. In addition, knowledge on the areas of developing a work program to conduct open market operations; to assess the types of IT systems in place in conducting open market operations; and to study the public debt management aspects.

Since the inception of the SAARCFINANCE (i.e., September 1998), a good number of officers (viz., 239) visited various institutions of member countries under Staff Exchange Programme

The matters of the Staff Exchange covered a broad range of issues such as risk-based supervision, human resource management, forward marketing arrangements for agricultural product, licensing regulation of the financial institutions, etc. Considering the effectiveness of the Staff Exchange Program and also in the case of training, seminars, etc., the matter of cost sharing is left entirely to the country concerned.

Two officials from the Bangladesh Bank visited RBI, Mumbai, India to have experience for "Online Currency Processing, Shredding and Briquetting System of RBI" during April 28-29, 2008.

Deputy Managing Director, Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, accompanied by two officials of the Foreign Exchange and Reserve Management Division visited Nepal Rastra Bank, Kathmandu, Nepal during January 10-13, 2008 for a study on Authorized Money Changers.

Mr. Abdul Hameed Mohamed, Executive Director, Economic Research & Statistics Division of the MMA visited the RBI on the sidelines of  9th SAARCFINANCE Co-ordinators’ Meeting on February 13, 2008, to explore the feasibility of strengthening the research department of MMA in close collaboration with RBI.

Table 1: SAARCFINANCE Staff Exchange Programme
during September 1998 - June 2008

RBI: Reserve Bank of India CBSL: Central Bank of Sri Lanka BB: Bangladesh Bank
NRB: Nepal Rastra Bank SBP: State Bank of Pakistan RMA: Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan

January-June 2008

During January-June 2008, as many as 7 officers and 15 press persons visited various institutions of member countries under Staff Exchange Programme (Table 2). The matters of the Staff Exchange covered a broad range of issues such as use of statistics and central bank’s survey, SME, micro & agriculture/rural finance and licensing regulation of the financial institutions.

Table 2: SAARCFINANCE Staff Exchange Programme
during January-June 2008