Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged chief ministers of all the states to instruct the local law enforcement authorities not to hinder movement of employees of bank and insurance companies while they are on their way to their work. Observing that staff of banks and other financial sector entities played a critical role in providing essential services during the pandemic, Sitharamam, in a strongly worded letter to the heads of states, said, “I am writing to you because I note with dismay several unfortunate incidents which have taken place recently in different states where bank employees have been manhandled by State law enforcement authorities.”