The FE India's Best Banks Awards were announced yesterday. The function was presided by Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee.

Mukherjee used the platform to stress on the importance of financial inclusion and the need of banking sector to to safeguard the interests of citizens who are left out in the growth process."

He also added that we should use "all our resources and policy options more effectively and in an equitable manner" in order to cater to "bottom-of-the-pyramid citizens."

"The (global economic) crisis revealed critical gaps in financial intermediation, and with a larger segment of the population participating in this process, the task becomes more arduous," the Finance Minister said.