State Bank of India is moving ahead firm and steady with its expansion plans all over the country. The bank plans to reach a target of 1000 branches in the Chandigarh circle in the upcoming fiscal.

SBI Chief General Manager (Chandigarh Circle) S K Sehgal said that the bank has around 875 branches in the region and plans to add a 100 more by the next financial year.

The Chandigarh circle comprises Union Territory Chandigarh and states including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Sehgal also emphasized on the fact that in order to meet up the workforce requirements with respect to expansion plans, the bank plans to recruit 2,500 people in the next year.

The bank has already said that it plans to recruit as much as 25,000 new employees this year so as to take care of the retirements as well as the positions at its new branches.

The bank has already hired 33,000 people for clerical post since 2007. With the addition of 25,000 more employees the total intake would exceed 50,000 by March 2011.

SBI has also recently declared its plans of setting 25 branches in Assam.

SBI plans to improve its branch network to 50,000 from 17,075 by the end of this decade.

This year alone, SBI has opened 975 branches and it intends to add another 1,000 branches during 2010-11. It had around 9,100 branches at the start of year 2000.