Veteran banker and former Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Bank Aditya Puri, who is in retirement, has expressed his interest in returning to the corporate world.

Speaking at the launch of the book Adityanama, authored by his wife Anita "Smiley" Puri, the veteran banker said he is considering two industries for his return — pharma and finance.

However, Puri's ultimate goal is to make a difference in the lives of people, especially those living in rural India. Puri is eager to work on a project that will provide affordable finance to rural areas and eliminate the need for moneylenders.

According to Puri, if the moneylending business is eliminated from rural India, it will create another India — an India in which people have access to affordable finance and can invest in their future without worrying about the high-interest rates charged by moneylenders.

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"My active return to corporate life could be in pharma or, if there was something where I could eliminate the money lender, I would do that. Sixty percent of India is still lives in semi-urban and rural India. They have taken roads, electricity, digital all over there and now we have the opportunity to be able to take finance and thereby take them out of the money lending business. So that is something that must be done. So if you give them finance, it will create another India," Puri said.

First Published:Mar 28, 2023 5:37 PM IST