The State Bank of India (SBI) has set a target to raise the share of women in its workforce to 30 per cent by 2030 as part of a broader push to strengthen gender diversity and inclusivity across all levels of the organisation.SBI Deputy Managing Director (HR) and Chief Development Officer (CDO) Kishore Kumar Poludasu told PTI that women currently account for about 27 per cent of the bank’s total workforce, though the figure rises to nearly 33 per cent among frontline staff.“We will be working towards improving this percentage so that diversity gets further strengthened,” Poludasu said, adding that the bank is taking targeted measures to bridge the gap and meet its medium-term diversity goal.With a staff strength of over 2.4 lakh — among the highest for any organisation in the country — SBI has rolled out several initiatives aimed at creating a workplace where women can thrive professionally while maintaining work-life balance.Among the women-centric measures, the bank offers creche allowances for working mothers, a family connect programme, and dedicated training sessions to help women re-enter the workforce after maternity, sabbatical, or extended sick leave.Poludasu said SBI’s flagship initiative, Empower Her, is designed to identify, mentor, and groom women employees for leadership roles through structured leadership labs and coaching sessions. The programme aims to strengthen the pipeline of women leaders across the organisation.The bank has also introduced wellness initiatives tailored to women’s health needs, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, nutritional allowances for pregnant employees, and a cervical cancer vaccination drive.“These programmes are designed keeping in mind the women and girls who are employed in the bank,” Poludasu said, adding that SBI remains committed to fostering an inclusive, secure, and empowering workplace.Currently, the lender operates over 340 all-women branches across India, and the number is expected to increase in the coming years.SBI, one of the world’s top 50 banks by asset size, has also been recognised among India’s best employers by multiple organisations. Poludasu said the bank continues to drive innovation across processes, technology, and customer experience while ensuring that diversity and inclusion remain central to its transformation journey.

India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) have concluded the 14th round of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) in Brussels, as both sides look to resolve outstanding issues and move closer to signing the deal by the end of the year, PTI reported citing an official.The five-day round, which began on October 6, focused on narrowing gaps across key areas of trade in goods and services. Indian negotiators were later joined by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal in the final days to provide additional momentum to the talks.During his visit, Agrawal held discussions with Sabine Weyand, Director General for Trade at the European Commission, as both sides worked to accelerate progress on the long-pending trade pact.Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently said he was hopeful that the two sides would be able to sign the agreement soon. Goyal is also expected to travel to Brussels to meet his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic for a high-level review of the progress made so far.Both India and the EU have set an ambitious target to conclude the negotiations by December, officials familiar with the matter said, PTI reported.Negotiations for a comprehensive trade pact between India and the EU were relaunched in June 2022 after a hiatus of more than eight years. The process had been suspended in 2013 due to significant differences over market access and tariff liberalisation.The EU has sought deeper tariff cuts in sectors such as automobiles and medical devices, alongside reductions in duties on products including wine, spirits, meat, and poultry. It has also pressed for a stronger intellectual property framework as part of the agreement.For India, the proposed pact holds potential to make key export categories such as ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, steel, petroleum products, and electrical machinery more competitive in the European market.The India-EU trade pact talks span 23 policy chapters covering areas such as trade in goods and services, investment protection, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, technical barriers to trade, rules of origin, customs procedures, competition, trade defence, government procurement, dispute resolution, geographical indications, and sustainable development.India’s bilateral trade in goods with the EU stood at $136.53 billion in 2024–25, comprising exports worth $75.85 billion and imports valued at $60.68 billion — making the bloc India’s largest trading partner for goods.The EU accounts for nearly 17 per cent of India’s total exports, while India represents around 9 per cent of the bloc’s overall exports to global markets. Bilateral trade in services between the two partners was estimated at $51.45 billion in 2023.