By IANS
Puduvayal (Tamil Nadu) : Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Sunday inaugurated the 10,000th branch of State Bank of India (SBI) here – making it the second bank in the world to have as many branches.
The launch of the branch at 9 a.m. in Puduvayal in Sivaganga district was accompanied by the playing of traditional musical instruments like Tharai and Thappattai.
A Chinese bank is the only other in the world to have so many branches.
SBI chairman O.P. Bhatt was also present at the inauguration ceremony.
A small panchayat (village council) town in the Chettinad region, Puduvayal is well known for its rice mills and the Friends Volleyball Club. Puduvayal means ‘new farm’ in Tamil.
This is the second rural bank branch Chidambaram launched in Sivaganga, his constituency, after presenting the 2008-09 union budget.
On Saturday, he opened the 2,956th branch of Bank of India at Kundrakudi in the same district.