Page 24 - NIS English 01-15 December, 2025

सहकाररता
COVER STORY International Year of Cooperatives

आवरण कथाा
Cooperative Banks cooperative bank members have
Housing loan limits for urban
been increased from

Empowered by Government Initiatives 25%
Since the formation of the Ministry of Cooperation, the efforts 10% to (up to Rs.
to strengthen the Cooperative banks have received a boost 3 crore)
through steps that include opening new branches, allowing
door-step services to customers, establishing a nodal officer at
the RBI, and increasing housing loan limits. n The loan limit has
been increased from
n Urban cooperative banks are now eligible to open 10% of their previous
financial year's total branch openings or a maximum of 5 branches Rs. 1 crore to Rs.
3 crore, enabling
without prior RBI approval.
these banks to
n The RBI has permitted urban cooperative banks to provide doorstep meet higher loan
services to customers. Account holders of these banks can now avail demand, support
banking services such as cash withdrawals and deposits, KYC, demand business growth,
drafts, and life certificates at their doorsteps. and increase their
n Urban cooperative banks can now obtain competitiveness in
notified status by being included in the SME loan sector.
RBI's Schedule II upon meeting n The RBI has approved the establishment
financially sound and well- of an umbrella organization for the
managed criteria and urban cooperative banking sector,
maintaining a minimum paving the way for approximately 1,500
required deposit balance. urban cooperative banks to acquire
the necessary information technology
infrastructure and operations.

Priority sector n Urban cooperative banks have been
lending target for permitted to conduct one-time settlements
urban cooperative banks on outstanding loans, similar to other
banks. Cooperative banks are now able to
has been reduced from provide a process for technical write-offs
75% to 60% and other services to borrowers through

to facilitate their board-approved policies.
operations. n The individual housing loan limit for rural
cooperative banks has been increased by
two and a half times to ₹75 lakh.

of cooperatives in India. The Gujarat Cooperative watching with amazement, and the Amul Group’s
Milk Marketing Federation, also known as Amul, is turnover, including milk and other related business-
the result of Tribhuvan Das’s vision. es, has surpassed ₹90,000 crore. This group alone
Amul’s turnover in 2003 was ₹2,882 crore. Today, provides self-employment to 3.6 million women in
Amul’s sales have exceeded ₹90,000 crore. This is Gujarat.
many times more than many large multinational After independence in 1947, the cooperative
companies. In this massive movement, no one’s movement gained momentum, as they were given a
share capital exceeds ₹100. Poor farmer women significant role in various five-year plans formulated
collected ₹100 each to build it. Today, the world is by the Planning Commission. In 2002, the central

22 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || December 1-15, 2025