New Delhi, Aug. 18 -- Public sector banks must shed the perception of being 'government banks' and build long-term relationships with young customers, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday, while proposing a month-long 'Banking for Youth' campaign starting 2 October and urging banks to engage customers from "campus to career and beyond".

"Public sector banks still give the impression of a government bank," Sitharaman said while speaking at the PSB Confluence 2026. She said India has one of the world's youngest populations and that young people will increasingly shape the country's patterns of consumption, savings, investments, entrepreneurship and wealth creation.

Sitharaman said financial capability should develop a...