The bank sources told The Financial Express that the management may change the minimum age to 50 from 40 in order to retain the younger group of officers who have mostly opted for the VRS. The sources also said that in case the management is unable to officially declare the change in the age limit, it would not accept applications from staffers who are below 50 years. However, the management is not in favour of using similar discretion in the case of award staffers.

"As it is, the number of award staffers applying for the VRS is too small compared to the number of applications from officers and naturally the acceptance rate for them will be almost 100 per cent," the SBI source said.

Admitting that the VRS has come as a curse for the bank, he said that till January 19 the total number of applicants was 26,862 constituting 11.53 per cent of the total employees strength. Of this, 15,123 were officer applicants and 11,739 staff applicants.

According to figures available with this paper, till January 19 the number of applicants had been maximum in northern zone followed by southern, western and eastern circles. The sources said 30 per cent of the assistant general managers employed at the bank's Mumbai circle has opted for the VRS.

The State Bank of India Staff Association (Sbisa) has instructed all its module functionaries to individually contact all the VRS applicants and pursue them to withdraw their applications. The Sbisa general secretary Ashoke Dutta, has in separate letters to these applicants also requested them to do so.